Starlight and Shadows
by DracOnyx
Summary: The InuYasha group get a not so subtle kick in the right direction regarding thier relationships with each other as events unfold around them and force them to deal. RR
1. New Moon, New Revelations Part 1

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha, or any of the characters, much to be my eternal dismay. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who I thank with every fibre of my being for giving us such wonderful and interesting characters to work with. So, please, don't sue me : )

  
  


Authors' Notes: Just a few, I promise : )

1- I'm new at this, so bear with me.

2- I'm sure there is some massive OOC in this, but please forgive me. I stayed as true to the original characters as my mind would allow me : )

3- As for where this story fits into the storyline, I have no idea. It may never. I am only up to graphic novel 12, and the episode where Sango steals the Tetsusiaga, so if I go WAY off course of the original story line, forgive me and enjoy it for what it is - a fan fiction of something that I think would be cool if it happened. So there : P

4- This story is coming from mind through pencil to paper at a relatively fast rate. So, I'll post once a week as long as I receive some reviews of people who want me to continue. And no, I have no idea where it's going . . . my mind hasn't bothered telling me that either. Sorry : )

  
  


Starlight and Shadows

An InuYasha Fan Fic

by DracOnyx

  
  


Chapter 1- New Moon, New Revelations (part 1)

  
  


InuYasha paced near the outer edges of the village, dividing his attention between the rapidly setting sun and the path from the Bone Eater's Well. Ignoring the looks of the nervous villagers, he grumbled to himself as he paced back and forth, kicking at rocks in his path.

"Where is she?" he growled softly to himself. "She promised she'd be back before the new moon rose tonight." He was torn between his emotions - anger at himself for missing her the past two days, annoyance with her for having gone back to her time against his wishes (he rubbed his lower back at that thought, remembering the dozen or so "sits" she had thrown his way so she could leave), irritation and anxiety for the coming night, and beneath it all was worry and fear that something might have happened to her, preventing her return. He hated when she went back through the well. There was so much he didn't understand about her time . . . and he was never sure if she was safe there. After all, demons had attacked her in her time before . . . and there was always that Hojo guy she'd mentioned from time to time. He growled, his chest rumbling dangerously at the wave of jealousy and possessiveness that thought aroused.

'If anything happens to her . . . if that Hojo guy touches her . . . if she died cause I wasn't there to protect her . . . and I never get the chance to tell her . . . WHOA!' He shook his head violently, ears twitching back and forth in agitation. 'Feh. I only need that silly girl to find the remaining shards . . . and . . . oh hell, she wouldn't be interested in a filthy dog hanyou, anyway.' He ignored the stab of pain that went through his heart at that thought, and firmly silenced the voice in his head that was telling him to stop lying to himself.

He caught a new scent nearby, and spun around to find Kaede watching him a couple of yards away. "What do you want, old witch!?" he snarled, whirling back around to continue his pacing, glancing irritably down the path.

"If ye are so concerned about young Kagome, InuYasha, why does thee not just go get her instead of . . . "

"Who said I was concerned, old hag!? I couldn't care less about that stupid girl!" He glared at her fro beneath a shock of white hair, his golden amber eyes flashing as he paused mid-stride. "In case you've forgotten, tonight is the new moon, and it's already near sunset."

Kaede shrugged and shook her head, turning a thoughtful eye to the sky above. "Thee will do as thee chooses to as always, young hanyou," she murmured. She lowered her gaze to find herself talking to air, her last glimpse of the hanyou a flash of red on the path to the well. She sighed.

"So impulsive, and completely unaware," she sighed. Idly, she reached out and caught a bushy fox tail as it tried to dodge past her and down the path. " Thee are not going anywhere, young kitsune."

"But . . . InuYasha . . . !" Shippo protested, wriggling against her grip on his tail.

"He can take care of himself," Kaede stated firmly, tucking the struggling kit under one arm. Turning, she made her way back to her hut to await Kagome's return.

InuYasha sped through the forest toward the Bone Eater's Well, his preternatural speed making the trees around him no more than a passing blur. He broke into the well's clearing just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the entire clearing.

He was perched on the edge of the well, poised to jump in, when he stopped himself. "What in the seven hells am I doing?" he growled softly to himself, running a clawed hand through his tangled white mane of hair. "If I jump through the well and there's nothing wrong on the other side, she'll yell at me, I'll yell back, and the cycle will start all over again." He crouched there for a moment, staring down into the darkness of the well, then abruptly shook himself, turned, and jumped back to the ground. He stumbled slightly as he landed, catching himself on the edge of the well with his hand. He stared at it carefully, watching as his claws receded into rounded human fingernails. It always disturbed him to watch his youkai blood wane on the night of the new moon. Even as he watched, he could feel his sensed dimming. Pulling a lock of hair around before him, he watched the ebony strands slide through his fingers. "Feh," he snorted. He moved slowly to the edge of the clearing, into the shadows of the forest's edge, where he set his back against a tree and sat, Tetsusiaga resting across his knees.

He stared across the well to the Goshinboku tree, it's upper half visible a short distance away. 'Fifty years,' he thought. 'Fifty years suspended from that gods be damned tree, dead. All for one pathetic human Miko who wanted me to become human . . . for love.'

"Feh," he grumbled. He shifted his gaze to the darkening sky, his eyes blinded to the beauty unfolding above him and the shadows of his past encompassed him. In his mind, he saw again the day Kikyo had sealed him to the tree, believing he had betrayed her to gain the Shikon Jewel for himself. He lived again the moment her arrow had pierced his heart, sealing him for what should have been eternity.

"Damn you Kikyo. So many years ago, but I still feel the pain of your betrayal. Even though we know it was Naraku, you still hate me, and I don't understand. Why? Why do you hate me . . . and why, after all these years, do I still care?" he growled, his hands clenching into fists, nails cutting into his palms.

There was rustling emanating from the well. All thought of Kikyo flew from his mind in an instant, his entire being suddenly centered on Kagome's arrival. First came the huge yellow backpack, heaved over the side of the well to land with a thud on the ground nearby. 'What in the seven hells does she pack in that thing?" he wondered for the hundredth time. Unconsciously, a slight smile crept across his lips at that thought. He sat there, smiling gently to himself, as he watched Kagome scramble out of the well behind her pack.

His smile faded abruptly as he noticed the tears on her face, and heard her gasps for air as she fumbled with the straps of her pack. "Ka . . . Kagome?" he whispered, confused. Pain wrapped around his heart as she swore to herself and finally got the straps straightened out. Seeing her tears always affected him in the worst way. Using Tetsusiaga to lever himself up off the ground, he approached her slowly.

With his eyes glued to te crying girl, InuYasha never noticed the twig until it snapped as he put his weight down on it. The loud crack echoed through the forest, causing Kagome to spin towards the source of the sound. Her eyes were reddened and puffy from crying, and she hastily wiped at them as they widened in disbelief.

"Inu . . . Yasha?" she breathed. Kagome's heart thudded in her chest as she spied him, Tetsusiaga in hand, standing behind her a few feet away. "Oh God, InuYasha!" She flung herself across the space separating them, sending them both crashing to the ground.

Instinctively InuYasha hugged her to his chest, dropping Tetsusiaga to the ground in order to protect her from the fall. "Umph!" he grunted, his breath knocked out of him as he hit the ground on his back with Kagome astride him.

'Oh God, he's all right, he's alive, it really was just a dream!' Kagome thought, her heart soaring as she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.

Bewildered, InuYasha raised his hands to her shoulders, slowly raising her up so he could look into her face. Her eyes seemed like bottomless pools of blue, starlight sparkling on her skin where her tears had fallen. Without thinking, he reached up gently, tracing a path through her tears with his fingertips. 'Her skin is like warmed silk . . .' he found himself musing, looking at her tears glittering on his fingertips.

"Kagome," he whispered, afraid of disturbing the moment of peace between them. "Nani . . . ?"

"Please," she interrupted softly, "don't say anything. I don't want to end up fighting right now, and it seems sometimes that's all we ever do." She sighed and forced herself to push away from him, away from his warmth and the comforting feel of his heartbeat, away from the faint, musky scent of him that told her she wasn't dreaming. Embarrassed by her outburst, she carefully took her weight off of him, a faint blush staining her cheeks red. She kneeled nearby, wiping away her tears, shoulders hunched as she waited for him to get over his shock. She could still feel his fingertips on her skin and see the look that had been on his face.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha," she whispered. "I just . . . after that awful dream . . ." she hiccupped slightly, "I just couldn't help myself. I was so scared . . ."

  
  


To be Continued 

  
  


AN: So, have I got your interest yet? *grins* Find out what Kagome dreamed that upset her so much . . . next time. And I apologize for the Chapter 1 Part 1 thing . . . I hadn't thought my chapters would be so long once typed up


	2. New Moon, New Revelations Part 2

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha, or any of the characters, much to be my eternal dismay. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who I thank with every fibre of my being for giving us such wonderful and interesting characters to work with. So, please, don't sue me : )

  
  


Authors' Notes: 

1 - This is part 2 of chapter one, so it won't make much sense unless you've read chapter one part one : ) 

2 - I've tried to stay as true to the characters as I could. I'm not very familiar with Sango or Miroku, which is why they don't show up much. InuYasha and Kagome will probably be out of character a goodly amount . . . but then, anytime the two of them show their emotions to each other in a story like this it's OOC, so bear with me. Hopefully, you'll like the changes in their characters I've made. Just enjoy as is, a fan fic. This is stuff that I personally see in their characters, so of course, it's my POV on what COULD happen to them in situations like what I'm doing. With that said, enjoy the story, and please review. Reviews make me feel loved, and make me more inclined to put more stories up : )

  
  


Last time:

'Oh God, he's all right, he's alive, it really was just a dream!' Kagome thought, her heart soaring as she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.

Bewildered, InuYasha raised his hands to her shoulders, slowly raising her up so he could look into her face. Her eyes seemed like bottomless pools of blue, starlight sparkling on her skin where her tears had fallen. Without thinking, he reached up gently, tracing a path through her tears with his fingertips. 'Her skin is like warmed silk . . .' he found himself musing, looking at her tears glittering on his fingertips.

"Kagome," he whispered, afraid of disturbing the moment of peace between them. "Nani . . . ?"

"Please," she interrupted softly, "don't say anything. I don't want to end up fighting right now, and it seems sometimes that's all we ever do." She sighed and forced herself to push away from him, away from his warmth and the comforting feel of his heartbeat, away from the faint, musky scent of him that told her she wasn't dreaming. Embarrassed by her outburst, she carefully took her weight off of him, a faint blush staining her cheeks red. She kneeled nearby, wiping away her tears, shoulders hunched as she waited for him to get over his shock. She could still feel his fingertips on her skin and see the look that had been on his face.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha," she whispered. "I just . . . after that awful dream . . ." she hiccupped slightly, "I just couldn't help myself. I was so scared . . ." 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 1 - New Moon, New Revelations

(Part 2)

  
  


InuYasha managed to get himself to a sitting position, feeling strangely empty with her warmth no longer on top of him. Shaking his head to rid himself of the feeling, he stood slowly. He bent down to pick up Tetsusiaga from where it had fallen and tied it carefully at his side. Then, bending down near Kagome, he slid an arm around her back and under her knees, picking her up so that she was cradled in his arms, against his chest.

"My pack . . ." she protested weakly, her voice raw from weeping.

"We're not going far. I just don't like being so exposed out in the open like this . . . especially not tonight." He carried her carefully back to where he'd been sitting when she arrived, walking cautiously so as not to overbalance himself. His strength in this form, while still stronger then the average human, was no where near his normal strength, and he wasn't used to carrying her when he was like this.

As he set her down beneath the tree, he found himself hugging her to his chest gently, inhaling her scent. He pulled back quickly, unsettled by the sudden rush of emotion his action evoked within him.

Kagome nearly froze in shock as she felt him hug her. Before she could relax into it, however, he had drawn back and put some distance between them. 'What's wrong with him?' she found herself wondering. 'He's actually being nice . . . and sensitive! Where's the normal jerk InuYasha? Is this how he usually is on the night's he's human, when he's not protecting me?' She considered that thought carefully for a moment. 'Well . . .' she sighed, 'If it is, I wish he was like this all the time.' She instantly regretted that thought, as she remembered all InuYasha's grumbled remarks and complaints about being human. 'Who am I to wish he was something he hates so much? That would be totally selfish of me!' Her mind froze as something dawned on her. 'That . . . that would make me like . . . like Kikyo! She wanted him to become human for her!' She found herself suddenly disgusted with the former miko. 'How could she say she loved him . . . when she couldn't accept him as he is . . . '

InuYasha, watching her face, rocked back on his heels as her eyes widened at some thought. 'Ah, here comes the 's-word' for doing whatever it was I did now.' He closed his eyes, waiting to eat dirt. When moments passed without the utterance of the dreaded word, he opened his eyes slowly to find Kagome staring up at the night sky.

Unconciously, his eyes roamed over her pale, upturned face. 'She's so beautiful . . .' he mused, then caught himself and started in shock. 'Where the hell did THAT come from?!' he berated himself. 'Get your head together, hanyou! Just cause you're human for one night doesn't mean you should start ACTING like one!' He looked back at her carefully, noting the shadows that still haunted her eyes. 'Something had her really scared though . . . and I find that I want to know what it was. She looked like she was really . . . happy . . . to see me! She's never happy to see me . . . well, not very often at least.'

He hesitated a moment before making up his mind. "Kagome?" he said softly. She turned her face to him, her eyes dark and troubled. "Why were you so scared? What was this dream you had about?" he asked gently, his eyes soft with concern.

Kagome, already off balance by the surprising shift in his attitude towards her, was even more surprised by this sudden interest in her mental well being. 'He's never cared before about something upsetting me like this. Look at all the fights over Kikyo. Why is he suddenly so concerned?' she wondered. Coming out of her shock, she just caught the look of hurt before the cold indifference she knew so well slid back over his features.

InuYasha watched her eyes widen in surprise at his question, and quickly tried to cover the stab of pain it cause him. 'Here I am trying to be understanding on one of the most hated nights of my life, and that's what I get?!' He stood up abruptly, angry with himself for letting his walls down for even a moment.

"Feh!" he growled, turning his back on her as he tried to get his emotional barrier back into place. "Don't tell me then, wench! Why should I care about some stupid dream your pathetic little human brain thought up anyway?!"

'You stupid hanyou!' he thought to himself. 'Would have thought you'd learned more from Kikyo's betrayal than this.' He steadfastly ignored the pain in his heart, moving to collect her pack from where it had landed.

Kagome reached forward and grabbed his hand, stopping him. She looked at his back, standing stiffly in front of her and sighed. "InuYasha . . . I'm sorry," she murmured. His head turned towards her, looking down at her from over his shoulder, his eyes cold and dark, his face a mask. 'Gah! Why is he so difficult to understand?! His moods change nearly as fast as the weather! Will I ever know how to react to him?' She sighed again, her shoulders slumping as her thoughts engulfed her.

"I got home late from school . . ." she said softly, staring at the ground. "I accidentally fell asleep on the couch . . . it was a REALLY lousy day at school!" she said defensively, knowing her falling asleep wouldn't go over well with him. " I had this . . . horrible . . . nightmare . . ." Her voice began to break up as the images from the nightmare flashed through her mind. It had seemed so real . . . all the blood . . . the broken and battered bodies . . . and InuYasha. Tears fell silently from her eyes to the ground as her shoulders began to shake with renewed sobs.

InuYasha's face slowly softened, and he dropped back to his knees in front of Kagome, watching as she tried to get her tears under control. A feeling of total and utter helplessness engulfed him. 'That dream REALLY got to her . . . was it about school?' he wondered. 'No, if it was about school she wouldn't have been so scared when she got here. So what . . . ?' His train of thought screeched to a halt as Kagome completely broke down, letting his hand go to cover her face as she sobbed.

"Oh Gods!" she moaned, her voice barely audible. InuYasha had to lean forward to hear her. "It was so real! You were hurt . . . and there was so much blood . . . and it was the new moon . . . you weren't healing . . . I was so scared!"

On impulse, InuYasha reached out to her, gathering her against his chest in an odd, tender hug that startled them both. 'She's crying because she . . . dreamed that I was hurt?' he marveled. 'She was scared . . . for me! Why?' He listened to her sobbing against his chest, and lightly began to run his hand over her hair and down her back, something he vaguely remembered from his childhood that his mother had used to soothe him. 'She couldn't be . . . I mean, why would she . . . I'm just some half-breed demon! She doesn't care about me that much . . . does she?' He looked down at the crying girl, bewildered. She was still sobbing softly, shivering with her hands pressed against his chest. He gathered her closer to him so as to better share his body warmth, his arms wrapping around her tightly. Overcome with a feeling he didn't understand, he buried his face in her hair, breathing in her warm scent. 'She smells of sunlight, summer winds, flowers . . . life. So warm and alive . . . nothing like the way Kikyo . . . ' He froze at that thought. 'Nothing . . . like . . . Kikyo . . . it's true! Kikyo was so . . . pure, almost cold, like a porcelain doll. She would never have cried in front of me . . . or for me.' Startled by this sudden revelation in his feelings towards the undead miko, he inhaled Kagome's scent again and sighed softly. 'Why did I never see this earlier . . . I've been fooling myself for so long . . .'

Kagome was slowly getting a hold of herself, feeling his heart beat steadily under her hand. 'He's so warm . . . and he smells like the forest after the rain . . . so wild and clean. But . . . why is he holding me like this? It's so unlike him!' She shivered at his closeness, a thrill shooting through her as she felt his breath puff gently against her ear as he sighed. 'I wish . . . I wish we could stay like this. I could almost believe he cared about me . . . but I'm sure he's thinking of Kikyo right now. After all, he said he thinks of her all the time.' She sighed gently, relaxing as his hands smoother down her hair slowly and repeatedly, tears running down her cheeks to wet the shoulder of his outer yukata (AN: not sure if I'm right here, but yukata is the shirt or top, hakama is the pants.... I think.) 'Who am I kidding?' she despaired. 'I love him . . . but he'll never see me as anything but another Kikyo . . . or a shard detector at best. I love him . . . he loves Kikyo . . . gods what a mess! I'll just . . . I'll just enjoy this while it lasts . . . and wish things could be different.'

Immersed in their own thoughts and each other's arms, neither of them heard the footsteps approaching them across the clearing until it was too late.

  
  


To be Continued 

  
  


AN: Evil, yes? So, what's gonna happen next? Who is it that's approaching them... and is it good or bad? C'mon people, review! I'm a review junkie and I need my fix so I can keep typing!


	3. Darkness Kissed Part 1

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha, or any of the characters, much to be my eternal dismay. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who I thank with every fibre of my being for giving us such wonderful and interesting characters to work with. So, please, don't sue me : )

  
  


Authors' Notes: 

1 - I would like to thank the following people for their reviews - KenYasha, Psy-girl, Geminidragon, Merith, Ambereyes, and Port. You guys are great : ) Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews, and please, feel free to tell me if you like it, hate it, think it could use such and such a change, whatever. You made me feel really great.

2- Once again, another chapter with 2 parts . . . I hadn't realized my chapters were so damn long. I'm sorry, please don't shoot me.

3 - I've tried to stay as true to the characters as I could. I'm not very familiar with Sango or Miroku, which is why they don't show up much. InuYasha and Kagome will probably be out of character a goodly amount . . . but then, anytime the two of them show their emotions to each other in a story like this it's OOC, so bear with me. Hopefully, you'll like the changes in their characters I've made. Just enjoy as is, a fan fic. This is stuff that I personally see in their characters, so of course, it's my POV on what COULD happen to them in situations like what I'm doing. With that said, enjoy the story, and please review. Reviews make me feel loved, and make me more inclined to put more stories up : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 2 (Part 1)

  
  


Pain flared through InuYasha's back. He hissed, his back arching in an attempt to remove itself from the pain as it intensified. He felt Kagome pulled away from him, but his mind couldn't get past the red haze clouding it. He spun on his knees to face the source, the pain intensifying unbearably as the knife in his shoulder was dragged across and up with his movement, opening a huge gash across his shoulders. He struggled to rise, to get into a more defensive position, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. 'Damn . . . human . . . body . . . GET UP!' he snarled to himself. He stared at the filthy human before him, noting absently the mismatched armor and unkempt hair. 'Thieves . . . just perfect.'

The thief laughed at his pathetic attempts to get to his feet. "See boys, I told you this night would bring fun and profit!" he called to his ragged band. He kicked InuYasha in the stomach, laughing as the temporarily human hanyou bent over the blow, his breath coming in gasps. "Didn't anyone ever tell you the forest is no place for children at night, boy?" he sneered. "Especially not for a tryst with such a beautiful girl." He turned his attention to the struggling Kagome, held a short distance away by one of his men. Roughly pushing the wounded hanyou aside with his foot, he swaggered over to her, grabbing her face harshly to catch the feeble light of his men's torches.

Kagome ceased to struggle, glaring at the man defiantly as he turned her face first one way, then the other. Inside, her heart pounded with fear. 'Oh gods, InuYasha, please be okay!' she prayed silently. She began to shiver uncontrollably as images from her dream returned to haunt her - InuYasha, human and alone, unconscious and covered in blood. She tried to look at him, to reassure herself, but was yanked roughly back to face her captor.

Viscously grabbing a fist full of her hair, the thief mashed his lips to hers in a passionless kiss. Kagome gagged as his tongue pushed it's way into her mouth, bringing with it the vile taste of cheap sake and fouled meat. Only his hand, knotted into her hair to the point of pulling it out of her scalp, prevented her from biting down on the offending flesh. Tears of pain, fear, and humiliation ran down her face as she felt him roughly grope her chest with his free hand. 'So this is my first kiss . . . and the first time a man has touched me . . . will I live through this? Will I want to?' she despaired

  
  


InuYasha, lying on the ground, struggled to master his limbs and rise as he watched the thief grope Kagome. Fierce waves of jealousy and possessiveness surged through him, feeding his anger and the adrenalin, pushing him to his feet. He growled low in his throat, fighting through the pain as he say the glint of tears on Kagome's face. 

"Let her go you BASTARD!" he shouted.

Releasing his hold, the bandit turned to stare at the wobbling hanyou. "Stubborn boy, aren't you?" He turned back to Kagome, catching her knee before it connected with his groin. "Bitch!" he snarled and backhanded her, knocking her unconscious.

"Kagome!" InuYasha howled, watching her head rock back with the blow and fall forward, limp. He charged blindly, his rage pushing him without thought. The man dodged his charge easily, watching as, off balance, InuYasha crashed back to the ground a few feet away.

InuYasha glared up at him, impotent rage seething as his legs refused to obey him once again. "Your woman will fetch a good price on the market, boy," the bandit gloated. "After, of course, we make sure she's sweet enough." He laughed mockingly at the look of horror that crossed the wounded hanyou's face. Turning his back on InuYasha, he slung the unconscious girl over his shoulder and walked from the clearing. "Kill that mangy brat and get back to camp quickly. This night promises to be entertaining, especially with this prize," he called over his shoulder to his men.

'Oh gods, Kagome!' Why did this have to happen tonight, of all the nights of the month . . . and no one would be coming to look for them, so he couldn't expect any help. Sango and Miroku had gone to the next village for Kaede, and Shippo was with the old miko. It was a long time till sunrise . . . and the gash on his back was still bleeding fiercely. 'Damn human body . . . I have to get to Kagome!'

The remaining members of the band surrounded him as he managed at last to rise shakily to his feet. They stood easily, assured of a quick victory over the boy before them. InuYasha pulled the sheathed Tetsusiaga from his side, his hands tightening around the blade. Even untransformed, the blade could help him . . . as long as he left it in it's sheath. He kept the image of that human kissing Kagome in his thoughts, using it to fend off the pain and weakness from blood loss. 'Hang on Kagome. I'm coming,' he prayed. 'I swore I'd protect you, and I will . . . even if it costs me my life.'

*--------------*-------------*-------------*

  
  


Kagome swam back to consciousness slowly, her arms screaming in pain, her face throbbing. 'What . . . where am I?' she wondered hazily. She shivered as a gust of cold air moved over her and tried to cover herself, only to find her arms tied above her head. The cold served to bring memory back into focus, and with it came the terror and shame. "InuYasha!" she whispered brokenly. "Oh gods, it's all my fault!" Tears ran unheeded down her face as she saw again the dream superimposed over her last glimpse of him.

"Ah, you are awake. Good. It's so much better when they scream." She watched in terror as the bandit stepped into the cave through the blanket covering the entrance. Her eyes locked onto the knife in his hand, still covered in InuYasha's blood. "Your young lover won't be coming to save you, if that's what you are hoping. By now, he'll be lying dead in a pool of his own blood." She moaned in denial, shaking her head furiously, her eyes shut tight.

She froze as she felt the cold metal of the knife against her cheek. She shivered as it slid down her skin, leaving a trail of blood to her blouse. The sudden rip of cloth sent her into motion, struggling futilely as she felt his hand at her skirt. 'No, please . . .' her mind screamed in denial, 'No . . . oh no . . . not this . . . not him . . . oh god . . . INUYASHA!'

  
  


End Part 1 Chapter 2

  
  


AN : okay, okay, another cliffhanger, I know....so, what's gonna happen? Is InuYasha dead? Is Kagome gonna get raped? Keep reading, I'm still writing : ) And please REVIEW! I'm a major review junkie : )


	4. Darkness Kissed Part 2

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all character (except the bandits) belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas

  
  


Authors' Notes : 

1- Oh my, so many reviews! I'm so excited, and I want to thank you all so much. You like me, you really like me!

2 - We're starting to get into a bit more of InuYasha's developing feelings. I'm hoping that you all will ride with it and think that I did it in a convincing manner from what you know of the manga/ anime. Please, read, review, tell me what you think : ) I guess I can even deal with flames, although I much prefer not to.

  
  


Last Time:

  
  


Kagome swam back to consciousness slowly, her arms screaming in pain, her face throbbing. 'What . . . where am I?' she wondered hazily. She shivered as a gust of cold air moved over her and tried to cover herself, only to find her arms tied above her head. The cold served to bring memory back into focus, and with it came the terror and shame. "InuYasha!" she whispered brokenly. "Oh gods, it's all my fault!" Tears ran unheeded down her face as she saw again the dream superimposed over her last glimpse of him.

"Ah, you are awake. Good. It's so much better when they scream." She watched in terror as the bandit stepped into the cave through the blanket covering the entrance. Her eyes locked onto the knife in his hand, still covered in InuYasha's blood. "Your young lover won't be coming to save you, if that's what you are hoping. By now, he'll be lying dead in a pool of his own blood." She moaned in denial, shaking her head furiously, her eyes shut tight.

She froze as she felt the cold metal of the knife against her cheek. She shivered as it slid down her skin, leaving a trail of blood to her blouse. The sudden rip of cloth sent her into motion, struggling futilely as she felt his hand at her skirt. 'No, please . . .' her mind screamed in denial, 'No . . . oh no . . . not this . . . not him . . . oh god . . . INUYASHA!'

  
  


Chapter 2 - Darkness Kissed (Part 2)

  
  


InuYasha's head snapped up from regarding the ground as he sensed Kagome's voice call out to him. Leaning heavily on his sword, bleeding from his back and other minor wounds, he followed the trail the thief band had left from their camp. Somehow, he could sense Kagome's terror and panic. 

"Kagome!" he breathed, his voice whispering like a prayer through the silent forest. 'Gods, I was such a fool for not realizing it before!' he berated himself, struggling to force his weakened body to move faster. 'I have to get to her . . . before he . . .' he gasped as pain shot through his back and he stumbled into a nearby tree, nearly collapsing. 'NO!' he thought desperately, 'If I go down now, I won't be able to get back up!'

Gripping Tetsusiaga tighter, and hoping morning wasn't as far off as he was afraid it was, he got back on the trail, trying not to stumble over rocks and tree limbs. His vision blurred disconcertingly, and his legs threatened to give out on him with every step.

"Please . . ." he whispered, "Whatever Gods are out there that might listen to a damned half-breed dog demon . . . don't let this happen to her! Let me get there in time!" His mind kept picturing her, tormenting him with images of their time together and of her lying broken like a child's play thing, her spirit and body shattered. He was unaware of the tears flowing silently down his face as he stumbled through the silence. "Not Kagome . . ." he whispered. "Please, not my Kagome!"

His mind whispered back. 'Since when is she YOUR Kagome, hanyou? All you've ever done is berate and belittle her, and compare her to Kikyo. Do you even realize how many times you've hurt her?'

"Shut up!" he snarled to that annoying voice that was his conscience, "I didn't know then . . . I was afraid . . ."

'Of what?' his mind snarled back. 'Being emotional? Being weak? Being human? Or were you just too afraid to let go of your past and have a future?'

"I don't have time for self inspection right now, so shut up!" he grumbled at his conscience. Abruptly, he found himself standing in a clearing. Signs of an encampment were everywhere, but there was no sign of Kagome or her captor in the open. Firelight flickered from a cave to his left, muffled sounds of struggle attracting his attention. "Kagome!" he whispered fiercely. "Hang on, I'm here!"

  
  


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Kagome struggled to get her wrists free of the rope binding them as the bandit stepped back to remove his shirt. Her skin throbbed from his 'love bites' and small trickles of blood issued from cuts her skin had suffered when he had cut her blouse and skirt open. Her bra and panties remained the only cloth left between his eyes and her skin. She could feel blood running down her arms from her lacerated wrists, but she was beyond caring.

"With that body, you'll fetch us a good price . . ." he sneered. "However, I always fully test my good's before selling them, so . . ." Kagome closed her eyes and struggled harder to free herself as he advanced upon her.

"Oh InuYasha . . ." she whispered in despair, tears falling freely from her eyes, "I wanted you to be the one . . ."

There was a grunt and a sudden thud. Kagome opened her eyes fearfully to see her captor picking himself up off the floor, and a very battered InuYasha standing with his back to her, in between them. Kagome nearly feinted from the fierce wave of joy and relief that swept through her. "You're alive?!" she whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Of course I'm alive." he replied over his shoulder. "Did you honestly believe some scruffy ragtag band of humans could kill me?" Underneath his cavalier attitude, his rage seethed, tempered by the fact that Kagome was okay. When he had slid quietly around the blanket, his heart had just about stopped at the sight of her, bound with her arms above her head, nearly unclothed and bearing visible marks of abuse. The rage in him threatened to break loose, until he heard the bandits words and knew that she hadn't been defiled yet. Moving faster then he would have believed possible in his current condition, he'd grabbed the man from behind, flinging him into a wall with all his strength and moving to interpose himself between Kagome and the human filth. 'This needs to be over fast . . . I have to get her out of here before I collapse.'

"You should be dead, brat. Now you're nothing but a nuisance," the man sneered, drawing the bloody knife from his belt.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," InuYasha growled back. Inside, however, he wasn't nearly so confident. With Kagome at his back, he already felt better, but he still couldn't unsheathe the Tetsusiaga against the man. He was barely holding on to consciousness, and his body felt sluggish and unresponsive. Holding the sheathed sword before him like a staff, he stood firm as the bandit advanced upon him.

Kagome watched as InuYasha and the bandit went at each other in a flurry of movement, exchanging blows faster then she could make out. Breaking her eyes away from the fight, she worked fiercely at her arms. InuYasha was badly wounded - judging by the amount of blood soaked into the back on his fire-rat yukata alone, she was surprised he was still on his feet, much less moving and fighting as he was. She glanced at the fight and gasped as InuYasha stumbled, regaining his balance barely in time to block a slash at his face. She redoubled her efforts, pulling and yanking at her bound wrists harder. She could feel the ropes loosening their hold as they became slicked with her blood. 'I've almost got it!' she encouraged herself silently.

'I have . . . to protect . . . Kagome!' InuYasha chanted to himself, using the litany in his head to help block the pain of his wounds. He knew he was losing, though. His eyesight was blurring, his legs were barely responding to him, and Tetsusiaga felt heavier by the moment. Seconds later, his legs finally gave out on him. He crashed to his knees, the sword falling from his hands and clattering across the uneven floor.

Slowly raising his head, he watched as the bandit stood over him, a smug grin on his face, preparing to strike. 'Oh gods . . . Kagome . . . I'm sorry . . . forgive me.' he thought, despair wrapping it's icy fingers around his heart. He bowed his head, closing his eyes against the blow he knew was coming. 'I never got the chance to tell you . . .' He knew this was the end. The end of the quest, the end of Kagome . . . the end of his whole miserable half-breed existence. In a way, he was glad. He'd never know how Kagome felt about him, never know what she'd meant about wanting him to be 'the one' .

Moments ticked by with no strike, and then there was the sickening thud of a body hitting the stone floor. 'Funny . . . I didn't feel a thing . . .' he thought, his mind trying to work the issue through a dimming haze. 'Wait a minute! That wasn't me!' His eyes popped open as he slowly raised his head.

The bandit lay prone in a spreading pool of blood nearby, the unsheathed and untransformed Tetsusiaga protruding through his chest, it's hilt buried in the man's back. Kagome stood not far from him, blood dripping slowly from her torn wrists, one of which still had the rope that had bound her dangling from it. She stared down at her hands, her face a study of revulsion, relief, and pride. InuYasha blinked, trying to make sense of the scene before him.

"Ka . . . Kagome?" he whispered, stunned. 'She . . . killed him. But . . . Kagome never killed anyone . . .' Kagome stared at him for a long minute, then looked back at the cooling body at her feet. Suddenly, she burst into motion, rushing over to him and falling to her knees in front of him.

"Oh God . . . InuYasha!" She looked at his dazed expression, her blue eyes dark with worry. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

He shook himself out of his thoughts, shaking his head in denial at her statement. "Kagome . . . I can't . . ." he whispered haltingly. "I've . . . lost too much . . . blood . . ."

"You have to InuYasha!" She helped him struggle to his feet, draping his arm over her barely covered shoulder. He blushed furiously and tried to move away, but she grabbed his wrist firmly before he could. "There's no time for that now . . . besides, it's not as if you haven't ever seen every inch of me before this." Inside, she shivered in fear. He was so weak . . . she's held onto his wrist with hardly any effort at all. 'We have to get back to the village . . . he'll bleed to death like this, especially since he's currently human!' Leaning him up against the cave wall, she went to retrieve Tetsusiaga, blocking out the images of her killing the man as she pulled the sword from his cold body. 'There's no time for that now either!' she scolded herself, retrieving the sheath from the floor nearby. She quickly cleaned the blade and returned it to it's sheath, which she tied across her back with the blood slicked rope from her wrist.

"Come on," she said, taking his weight on her shoulder again. "You know, it's about time I returned the favor . . . you've carried me around for months now." InuYasha smiled weakly at her attempted humor, and concentrated on keeping to his feet.

Together, the wounded hanyou and the young miko left the cave of darkness, entering together into the starlit night.

To Be Continued

  
  


AN:

DracOnyx : (laughing insanely) Oh, I'm so vile. So, now what's gonna happen? InuYasha is still hurt pretty bad, and Kagome isn't in the best of condition. Can they get Inu to the village in time before his human body gives out on him? (Cringes as nails poke into her shoulder and tries to cover the monitor screen)

InuYasha : And just what, may I ask, are you doing to me now?

DracOnyx : Ummm . . . Nothing Inu . . . honest! (Sweatdrops, and then squirms as he leans over her shoulder to read, trying not to grab a handful of gorgeous hair and play with a pair of cute ears)

InuYasha : Wench . . . I would never do such stuff. No humans could hurt me that badly . . . even if it IS the new moon.

DracOnyx : Feh! Well . . . if you didn't need help with your relationships . . . uhoh . . . (gets up and edges towards the door) I mean . . . if you would just admit that you love her . . . (gets ready to run) Ummm . . . guys, I'll update again with the next chapter on Sunday, it's a longer one this time. At the moment, I think I better start running. (Waves) See you guys then. And don't forget to review please! I'm a major junkie! (Takes off with a slightly annoyed Hanyou after her)

InuYasha : I DO NOT love her and I DO NOT need help with my relationships! 

DracOnyx : (snort) Yeah right.


	5. Banishing Shadows Part 1a

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas

  
  


Authors' Notes : 

1- Whoa! People are actually requesting MORE? Holy Hanyou, Inu....that I never expected! I'm so glad you guys like it : ) This is, as I once stated, my first fan fic ever, and I'm astounded at the overwhelmingly GREAT response I'm getting. You people could kill me with kindness : )

2 - Okay, InuYasha is starting to show how much he cares about Kagome (now that he finally woke his sorry hanyou butt up to the fact that he DOES care about her.) As I said before, I'm hoping you think I did this in a convincing manner in line with how InuYasha would come about these self revelations. Please, feel free to email me/ review me with what you think - IE changes, ideas, whatever. I can even deal with flames if I have to.

3- For those of you requesting more earnestly, don't worry, there is much more to come. I'm currently up to about 8 chapters on paper...which translates into about 16 chapters here. But... I'm stuck at the moment. Don't worry, there won't be a pause in my posting...I have enough stuff already written to give me some time before I have to start fending off rotten fruit. I post Sunday Nite/Monday Morning and Wednesday Nite/ Thursday Morning. So, those are the days to check. In between...review, review, review. Your reviews are my inspiration and give me the urge to sit down and write - so please, keep reviewing : ) 

4- I did manage to escape InuYasha, by the way. He chased me into the city and lost me (silly hanyou). Now I'm hoping he won't come back till I'm done this post . . . but I'm not betting on it. Anyone got any dog treats? *ducks a blow from behind her* Uhoh...he's back : P well, on with the story anyway . . .

  
  


Chapter 3 - Banishing the Shadows Part 1

  
  


Slowly, InuYasha and Kagome retraced the path to the Bone Eater's Well, stumbling over rocks and branches. The wounded hanyou grimaced in pain with each step, but stubbornly kept moving, supported and led by the girl at his side. His eyesight was so fuzzy that he could barely make out his surroundings, but he took comfort in the knowledge that Kagome was safe from harm.

'She killed him . . .' he thought, wonder and amazement coloring his thoughts. 'She killed another human being . . . to protect me.' His heart skipped a beat, then began to pound. 'Maybe . . .' he wondered, 'Maybe I'm not just a disgusting dog hanyou o her. But . . . could she really care about me THAT much?' His mind taunted him with her words back in the cave. ' The one . . . the one what? What did she mean by that?' He tried not to let himself hope too much, afraid he was wrong and reading too much into her words.

Finally, they stumbled into the clearing where the Bone Eater's Well rested. Moving to cross it towards the path to the village, InuYasha collapsed, his energy spent.

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried, falling to her knees beside his prone form. "Please, InuYasha, you have to get up! We have to get you to the village . . . to Kaede!" He lay still, his cheek pressed to the grass, eyes closed in pain. "Please . . ."

"I'm . . . sorry . . . Kagome." he whispered brokenly. "I . . . can't . . . lost . . . too much . . . blood." He opened his eyes slowly, struggling against the darkness that loomed over him. "This . . . human body . . . too weak . . . Kagome. Forgive me."

"Oh InuYasha . . ." she sighed. Lying prone, she gazed into his pain clouded eyes. "There is nothing to forgive . . . my beautiful hanyou." His eyes widened at the endearment, and widened still further as she lovingly caressed his blood stained cheek. Tears dripped silently to the ground as she gazed at him, her memory reliving all the time they had spent together, the good and the painful. 'So much time wasted . . . but so many memories together.' She thought back to the cave, back to the moment she'd seen InuYasha go down and had KNOWN he was going to die. Her rage had overwhelmed her, and she'd yanked her wrist free in one hard motion. She vaguely remembered picking up and unsheathing Tetsusiaga, then lunging and burying it in the thief's back with all her hatred, rage, and fear behind it. She still couldn't believe she'd take a man's life, but looking into InuYasha's eyes, she found her conscience was clear.

"I've never been able . . . to tell you . . . before," she whispered to him, "how much I care about you . . . " 

Gathering what little energy he could, he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Don't . . ." he whispered back. "Don't say . . . anything . . . you'll regret . . . later."

"The only thing I'll regret is not saying it before this, you silly hanyou," she sighed, taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers.

"Ka . . . gome . . ." he said softly, "I . . ." his voice drifted into silence. Kagome watched as he slipped into darkness, unconscious.

"Don't leave me, InuYasha. Please, don't leave me," she prayed. Holding his hand tightly, shivering in the night air, she lay beside him, hoping help - or dawn - would arrive soon enough.

  
  
  
  


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"We have to hurry!" panted the young kitsune as he raced down the path toward's the well clearing. Miroku and Sango followed not far behind, a slower moving Kaede trailing. "Something is wrong . . . I can just feel it!" This sense of wrongness had been growing on him all evening, until he had finally erupted when Sango and Miroku had returned early, and there was still no sign of InuYasha or Kagome. 'InuYasha is never far from the village on the night of the new moon . . ." he thought. 'Something must have happened to them.'

Bursting into the clearing, he slid to a standstill, eyes widening at the carnage before him. Human bodies lay scattered throughout the clearing, and Kagome's pack lay abandoned near the well. A flash of red caught at his attention on the far side of the clearing.

"InuYasha!" the young kit cried, sprinting towards his prone figure. "Kagome!" Behind him, he heard Sango gasp, and Miroku say a quick prayer as they spied him as well.

Kagome sat up in time to catch a panicked kitsune in her arms. "Shippo!" she cried, hugging him tightly, tears flowing down her face. Miroku paused at the sight of her dishevel, moving again only after Sango nudged him sharply in the ribs. He quickly turned his attention to the prone hanyou, kneeling at Kaede's side as she examined him.

"He be near death," Kaede murmured.

"Are we in time to save him, Lady Kaede?" he asked.

"I know no, young priest. Perhaps, if we are lucky. Once we get him bandaged up, 'tis a matter of how strong his will is to live, and how soon the dawn arrives. A normal human would be dead already. We need must get him to the village, and quickly, if we are to have any chance of his survival." She glance at Kagome, sobbing quietly into Sango's arms as the exterminator wrapped her outer kimono around the shivering young miko.

"They . . . were going to rape me . . . and sell me!" she sobbed. "He came to . . . rescue me . . . I killed someone . . . oh gods, don't let him DIE!" Kagome broke down completely, all the rage, horror, and fear at last overwhelming her. Sango gently got her to her feet, handing her into Kaede's care so she could help Miroku with InuYasha's limp form.

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Dawn was still an hour away when Kaede finished tending InuYasha. As she had worked, Miroku by her side, Kagome had told them in bits and pieces what had transpired that night. They were all surprised, horrified, amazed, and proud in turn, listening to Kagome tell of InuYasha's arrival at the cave and her final action against the man who had attempted to rape her. Kaede turned her attention to Kagome's lacerated wrists, suggesting gently to the young miko that she go take a bath and change out of her destroyed clothing.

Kagome shook her head violently. "I can't leave him," was all she said, her tone stopping any arguments the group could utter before they reached their lips. Miroku quickly volunteered to go retrieve some water for her to sponge off with, while Sango left for her hut to retrieve something for Kagome to wear. Shippo and Kaede went to retrieve her pack from Kaede's hut, where Shippo had dragged it.

While they were gone, Kagome sat silently beside an unconscious InuYasha, holding his hand and running her fingers through his hair, untangling the snarls as she went. The ebony strands slid through her fingers like silk, and she gazed at it sadly, fascinated that this same hair would be turning pearlescent white with the sun's first rays. She glanced at the bandage across his back. It was spotted with blood already, but it wasn't seeping through anymore. "Oh, InuYasha . . ." she sighed, staring down at his bare back. "Please don't leave me. We still have so much to do . . . and I can't do it without you." She caressed his cheek gently, her fingers brushing over his lips to feel the slight puffs of air from his breathing. "Gods . . ." she whispered, "I don't know what to think of you anymore. I don't think I ever really did." She glanced out the open door, looking at the starlit sky, and squeezed his hand gently. "Everything had happened so fast, and usually all at once . . . do we ever have time to ourselves? There's so many things we need to talk about . . . but we never seem to do anything but fight." She grinned wryly at that, remembering some of their more spectacular shouting matches. Her grin faded as she remembered the cause for most of those fights. "I still don't even know . . . how you feel about Kikyo . . . or me. . ."she paused, then sighed. A rustle from the door attracted her attention.

She watched her friends file in with their burdens, and felt a profound sense of relief and gratitude for them. They meant more to her then any of her giggling school friends back home, and she knew all of them cared for her in some way. They were her strength here, her reason for returning over and over again. . . although the hanyou at her knees was the strongest reason of all. 'Whatever happens . . . I want him to be happy,' she thought.

Kaede hung a blanket over the doorway and ushered Miroku and Shippo out after they set down their burdens. Sango alone remained behind, to help Kagome.

Sango watched as Kagome stripped what was left of her modern clothing off, tossing it into the flames. She winced inwardly at the bite marks and cuts that decorated Kagome's arms, shoulders, and chest. 'I'm surprised she's so calm . . . any other woman would be in hysterics for a week after what happened to her . . .' she mused. Kagome gently sponged off the dirt and blood, wincing as the water came in contact with tender flesh. She dressed quickly in the white training suit Sango had brought her, the exterminator helping her tie the unfamiliar hakama and yukata around her.

"Kagome, are you going to be okay?:" Sango asked gently. "That was a very horrifying experience you lived through . . . and I just . . ."

"I'm fine now, Sango," Kagome replied softly. "I'm more worried about InuYasha."

Sango eyed her as she tied her hair back and resumed her vigil on InuYasha, returning to sit beside him with his hand grasped in her own. 'Something has changed between the two of them . . . they seem closer. Maybe this will help them admit how they feel for each other.' She stood slowly and walked quietly out the door, deftly dodging Miroku's 'accidental' attempt to fondle her behind.

Quietly she discussed her thoughts with the others. They has all come to the same conclusions about the couple. Now, all that remained was to see if the changes held, and if InuYasha survived. The idea that he might not be around for the next fight was a sobering one to all of them. Each of them, in their own way, had come to care about the moody hanyou, and coming to terms with the idea that he might not be around for the next fight was difficult, at best. He'd saved all of them at least once. They all sat brooding over their own thoughts, waiting for the sun to rise.

  
  


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Dawn came quietly to the village that morning, as if all the world held it's breath to await the fate of one hanyou hero. Kagome, running her fingers through InuYasha's silken hair, first began to notice the change as the strands began to glisten and shimmer, slowly bleaching to the silver-white his demon heritage had bestowed on him. She watched carefully as his fingernails lengthened into the steel hard claws he'd used to defeat so many enemies, and as his dog ears slowly made their own appearance. She'd never been able to really watch his transformation this closely, and she found herself fascinated by it.

She caught herself in a yawn as Kaede came through the door. "He survived the dawn," the old miko whispered, gingerly beginning to change the blood spotted bandage on his back. Kagome nodded in reply, turning her head away from the horrendous gash across his shoulders. "It's beginning to heal nicely, but it will be a few days before he should get up. Hopefully, he will be a better patient this time then he has been in the past." She smoothed more medicinal salve carefully into the wound, rebinding it with clean linen. The other, minor wounds he had received were already beginning to disappear.

Finishing with InuYasha, she turned her attention to Kagome's wrists. "Ye should get some sleep, child."

"I can't leave him Kaede. Not like this."

"He is out of danger now, Kagome. Surely ye can allow thyself a few hours of rest?"

Kagome looked down at the unconscious hanyou, then back up at Kaede, tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm afraid of the dreams that will come, Kaede. Reliving all that . . ." her voice trailed off as she shivered.

"Then ye should sleep here with him, child."

Kagome stared at her in shock. "But . . . isn't that . . ."

"Is not that what, child? Improper? I think not that anyone will care. I know that I do not." Kaede said, standing slowly. "Be that as it may, ye must get some rest. Ye are in nearly as bad of a condition as InuYasha is. If it will help thee to sleep, then do so here, beside him. We shall come in to check on thee from time to time." With that said, she slid the blanket aside and left.

Kagome stared after her in shock then stared down at InuYasha. "She's right . . . I do need to sleep . . . and I would rather stay near him . . ." Standing, she picked up his inner and outer yukata, wincing at the blood stiffening the garments. She packed them into the water she'd used to wash, hoping it would help the blood come out easier.

Pulling her sleeping bag from the corner, she unzipped it and draped it over InuYasha's inert form gently, then slid under it and cuddled up next to him. 'Don't get to used to this,' she reminded herself. 'Last night was probably just due to what happened and his being human. He'll probably kick you out the moment he wakes up and knows you're beside him.' She couldn't help wishing that last night's revelations would stand the light of day, however. Cradling his hand gently in hers, she studied his face as her eyes slowly drifted closed. 'He looks . . . so innocent . . .' was her last conscious though, her other hand resting gently against his ribs.

  
  
  
  
  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN : Inu's busy with the cats under my house atm, so I'm safe. Well, what do you think? Will he wake up anytime soon? And what will be his reaction to finding Kagome sleeping next to him if he does? *rubs her hands together in glee* You know, I see a very irrate Hanyou trying to clobber a meddling author at the moment. Ah well, if he'd just do it himself.... Anyway, please review. It makes me really happy and excited . . . it's the sugar coated bon-bon to the serious writer : )

  
  



	6. Banishing Shadows Part 1b

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas

  
  


Authors' Notes : 

1-So many reviews. I'm touched guys, really. And the fact that you like it is just amazing. Thank you all so much, and please, keep reviewing. Keep telling me what you think.

2 - Okay, InuYasha is starting to show how much he cares about Kagome (now that he finally woke his sorry hanyou butt up to the fact that he DOES care about her.) As I said before, I'm hoping you think I did this in a convincing manner in line with how InuYasha would come about these self revelations. I like to think of it as he's finally growing into a new maturity. I realize this is probably Massive OOC, but it is a fanfic, so bear with me.

3- For those of you requesting more earnestly, don't worry, there is much more to come. I'm currently up to about 8 chapters on paper...which translates into about 16 chapters here. But... I'm stuck at the moment. Don't worry, there won't be a pause in my posting...I have enough stuff already written to give me some time before I have to start fending off rotten fruit. I post Sunday Night/Monday Morning and Wednesday Night/ Thursday Morning. So, those are the days to check. In between...review, review, review. Your reviews are my inspiration and give me the urge to sit down and write - so please, keep reviewing : ) 

  
  


Last Time : 

Pulling her sleeping bag from the corner, she unzipped it and draped it over InuYasha's inert form gently, then slid under it and cuddled up next to him. 'Don't get to used to this,' she reminded herself. 'Last night was probably just due to what happened and his being human. He'll probably kick you out the moment he wakes up and knows you're beside him.' She couldn't help wishing that last night's revelations would stand the light of day, however. Cradling his hand gently in hers, she studied his face as her eyes slowly drifted closed. 'He looks . . . so innocent . . .' was her last conscious though, her other hand resting gently against his ribs.

  
  


Chapter 3 - Banishing the Shadows Part 1B

  
  


A scent was calling him . . . teasing him awake. There was blood . . . so familiar . . . his blood . . . but not only his, also . . . "Kagome!" he whispered, his eyes opening suddenly. He remembered making it as far as the well . . . and then he'd collapsed. Were they still . . . no. There was wood under him, not grass and dirt, so he figured he was back in the village. But where was Kagome? Had they found her as well? He started to rise, stopping with a hiss of pain as the healing wound on his back stretched.

Movement by his side, underneath the cover draped over him, attracted his attention. 'Why the hell is that damn kitsune . . .' he thought, lifting the blanket to oust the brat and get information out of him. He stopped as he spied raven wing hair. "Kagome!" he breathed, stunned. 'She . . . slept . . . next to me? With me?!' He carefully shifted on his side and edged down so her head was even with his chest so he could look at her. He steadfastly ignored the twinges of pain from his back, telling him he was moving to much for his own good.

Kagome shifted slightly and moaned in her sleep, her face sad. "No . . . don't . . . please . . . not InuYasha . . ." she moaned. Impulsively, he reached out and gathered her carefully against him, her head resting against his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She quieted almost immediately, snuggling closer to him. He moved slightly to pull the cover up closer around them, gently tucking it behind her. He settled back, resting his chin on the top of her head. He breathed in her scent, glad that the night of the new moon was over and his youkai blood was back in full effect.

'I could have lost her last night,' he thought to himself. Unconsciously, his grip on the her tightened, taking comfort in the feel of her body against his own. 'But she's here, alive . . . near me, where I can keep her safe. That was too close though.' He growled low in his chest, remembering the filthy human's hands touching her . . . him kissing her . . . him hitting her. 'How do I protect her from those memories?' he wondered, trying to hold in the rage and jealousy those images evoked in him. Kagome meant more to him than life itself . . . the events of last night had shown him that much, at least. But, what was he supposed to do about that new found revelation? They were from such a different times, practically different worlds. Once Naraku was defeated, she would inevitably return to her time . . . leaving him behind. And they'd never even really discussed what he was going to do with the completed Shikon No Tama.

InuYasha sighed, nuzzling Kagome gently. Last night had brought up a lot of complications in an already over complicated relationship. 'And I'm really not good at relationships . . . that much we do know.' He thought back on all the shouting matches . . . the issues with Kikyo . . . his original difficulty in distinguishing between her and Kagome being the most obvious. He hissed as his back twinged again. 'I've made such a mess of things so far . . .' He sighed, breathing in Kagome's scent as his mind calmed. 'Well, whatever happens between us now, there is no sense to my worrying about it right this moment.' He settled Kagome closer to him, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his, her breath puffing gently against the bare skin of his chest. 'I love you Kagome. Even if I can't say the words to you yet, at least I can admit it to myself now.' Slowly he drifted back into sleep, relaxed for the first time in his life by the closeness of the young woman he held in his arms.

  
  


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Shippo snuck into the hut around noon to check on the sleeping couple. He nearly tripped over his own jaw at the sight that met his eyes - InuYasha, sound asleep, holding tightly to a sleeping Kagome.

He started to back slowly out the door, and bumped into Miroku's legs. "Uh . . . hi Miroku," he whispered.

"Hello Shippo," the houshi whispered in return. "What are you doing in here?"

The young kitsune blushed. "I . . . uh . . . I thought Kagome might be lonely sleeping in here all by herself . . ." he trailed off, embarrassed.

"It's okay Shippo. You usually sleep with her." Miroku grinned, ruffling the young youkai's hair gently. "It appears, however, that InuYasha has taken care of that this time." He approached the sleeping couple carefully, waiting for the ever alert hanyou to wake to his presence. He was astonished when InuYasha did nothing more than open his eyes long enough to affirm who it was, and then appeared to go right back to sleep, cradling Kagome against his chest. 'Well,' he thought, ' it appears more than one relationship changed last night.' He carefully checked the bandage across the hanyou's back. There were a few spot of blood, probably due to his shifting onto his side, but he didn't think it was anything to be concerned over.

Miroku moved to check on Kagome, and was startled when InuYasha's hand grabbed his wrist as he attempted to move the blanket.

"Let her be, priest. She's fine. Her heartbeat is steady and she's sleeping peacefully now," InuYasha growled softly, his amber eyes still closed.

"I need to check the bandages on her wrists, InuYasha. They were torn up pretty badly. We need to be sure they don't get infected." InuYasha sighed and shifted slightly, releasing his wrist to pull Kagome's arm gently out from in between them and draping it over his shoulder for Miroku to examine.

"I don't smell any infection starting, but check anyway. Just don't wake her," he whispered. Miroku checked the bandage carefully, then handed her arm back to InuYasha, who quietly tucked it back where it had been. Not hearing Miroku leave, he opened his eyes to find the priest watching him thoughtfully. "What's on your mind, Miroku?" he sighed.

The priest nearly fell over in shock. InuYasha . . . was actually opening a conversation with him?! He shook himself, looking into the hanyou's golden-amber eyes. "You've changed, InuYasha," he whispered. He watched as InuYasha closed his eyes and sighed, his ears twitching back and forth rapidly. Finally, after a few moments, he opened them again to look up at Miroku.

"She killed a man last night . . . to protect me," he whispered. "Kagome, who's never really killed anything, did so because I was in danger." He sighed, shifting slightly to press the sleeping girl nearer to him, burying his face in her hair for a second. "I thought I was going to lose her last night, Miroku. Either to those filthy humans . . . or by death. It was a . . . sobering experience. I know we've been faced with this situation before . . . but never like that. It made me really think for once."

"And what about Kikyo, InuYasha? She's been an obstacle between you and Kagome since that old witch brought her back to life. Have your feelings changed towards her?" Miroku watched as InuYasha winced and closed his eyes again, his ears flattening to his skull.

"I still feel responsible for her death . . . but, in the end I think we were both just . . ." he sighed. "I don't know. I think we were both just so alone that we reached out to each other. . . but we never fully trusted each other. That, in the end, is what Naraku used against us. He was right about that at least. I still have feelings for her . . . I probably always will. But those feelings are nothing compared to what I feel for Kagome. Kikyo wanted me to become human, as if what I am is just some curable disease she could overlook . . . Kagome accepts me as I am . . . at least, she's never asked me to be anything different." He hugged her a bit tighter, careful not to wake her. 

Miroku tried not to allow InuYasha to see how much this candid heart to heart shocked him. 'Last night really DID make him think!" he found himself musing.

InuYasha smiled slightly to himself as he watched Miroku's ill concealed shock. Yes, last night really had changed him, but in a good way. He only hoped he could be as candid with Kagome when they finally got a chance to talk. They had a lot of things to discuss . . . and his tongue usually seemed to fail him somehow whenever he talked to her. That, or his mind just shut down on him entirely. Kagome just had that kind of effect on him. Of course, it helped that Sango, Kaede, and Shippo were all eavesdropping outside. His grin widened, and he quickly hid his face in Kagome's hair. They didn't think anyone knew they were there, and they really WERE trying to be quiet, but he could smell and hear them easily enough. Miroku, however, was totally oblivious. InuYasha suddenly decided that he didn't feel like being the only male in the group with a lot on his mind. He decided to give his friends - something else he'd realized recently, they WERE his friends - a hand with their own . . . love life problems.

"Miroku . . ." he said, attempting to choose his words carefully, "Did you ever consider Sango in a way beyond that of a possible mother of your son?" He could practically FEEL Sango stiffen in interest, and he was gratified to see the priest actually blush.

"InuYasha . . .I couldn't ask ANY woman, especially Sango, to get involved with me emotionally. Who knows if I'll even live long enough for us to get a chance at Naraku? The Wind Tunnel slowly grows larger . . . how could I ask Sango to tie herself to me when I may not have more than a month . . . perhaps a year, if I'm lucky? Sango has lost enough people she cares about, ti would not be right for me to add to that list." Miroku sighed, playing with the prayer beads wrapped around his cursed hand absently.

"Not that I am one to be giving out advice, Miroku . . . but none of us know how long we will live, or even if we will defeat Naraku. So . . ." he shrugged slightly, wincing in pain as he shifted the wound on his back again. "Damn . . . I keep forgetting about that. Well, as I was saying . . . with that in mind, could it really hurt to tell Sango how you feel?"

Miroku nodded slightly. "You've given me much to think about. Now then, you need to rest some more." He stood slowly, his staff jingling slightly. InuYasha grinned as he heard the scuffling outside as the eavesdroppers scrambled to get away. "Thank you InuYasha. And . . . welcome back to the land of the living."

InuYasha settled back down with Kagome, tugging the blanket gently back up around them and cradling her tightly to him. He'd told Miroku nothing but the truth. Faced with the events of last night, he's done a lot of thinking and changing. He was still constantly amazed that Kagome hadn't "sat" him into oblivion or refused to come back yet.

For now, however, he needed to get back on his feet, which meant resting . . . although he didn't mind that so much this time. As long as Kagome was nearby . . . his eyes slowly drifted closed, and he dozed lightly.

To Be Continued

  
  


AN: I'm actually gonna post a bit after this one . . . Don't know why really . . think it's all you reviewer's begging me for more : ) So, keep reviewing and telling me what you think. I get so giddy when I read new reviews from people telling me they love my story. Flames will be dealt with as well, I guess . . . but good reviews really are the greatest drug in the world.


	7. Banishing Shadows Part 2

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all character (except the bandits) belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas

  
  


Authors' Notes : 

1- well, here I am posting way early because people have asked me to. So exciting to get so many good reviews : )

2- InuYasha is OOC, yes yes, I know. It's a fan fic, remember? Besides, I figured it was about time he grew up and got his head out of . . . well, I'm sure you know what I mean.

3- As usual, read review, tell me what you think : ) and enjoy of course

  
  


Chapter 4- Banishing Shadows Part 2

Kagome awoke slowly, a feeling of peace enveloping her. 'When was the last time I woke feeling so . . . safe? I don't even feel like this in my own bed,' she mused silently, trying fuzzily to figure out what was so different about this time. She remembered falling asleep next to InuYasha . . . but that surely didn't warrant this feeling of being cherished. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself nestled against a strong, smooth expanse of chest. 'Something isn't right here . . . he was on his stomach when I fell asleep!' Suddenly worried, she attempted to sit up to check on his back, only to feel his arms tighten around her. 'He's . . . he's HOLDING me!'

InuYasha heard the minute her heartbeat sped up, signaling she was awake. He felt her sudden start as she tried to sit up, and held her tighter, unwilling to give up the pleasure of her resting against him. She settled back against him, and he could sense her confusion and surprise.

'Well, you have to admit this is a first for you. She's probably wondering when you took to hugging people and cuddling with them,' that little voice inside his head piped up.

'When I decided to let my walls down and realize what was right in front of my eyes,' he thought back. 'Now go away.' He felt her sigh and relax against him suddenly, and smiled gently to himself.

'I might as well enjoy this while it lasts . . .' Kagome thought to herself. 'Once he wakes up and realizes what he's doing . . . who he's holding . . .' She sighed again, and snuggled closer to him. 'He's probably dreaming of Kikyo.' She stared at the expanse of well muscled chest before her, tight muscles covered by satin skin that was crying for her to run her finger over it. 'Oh, what the hell . . . he's unconscious anyway . . . what he doesn't know won't hurt him.' Tentatively, she ran her fingers across his shoulder, trailing them slowly over his chest in gentle circles, feeling the smooth skin shift over strong muscle. 'Not even a scar . . . after all the wounds he's gotten protecting me . . . must be nice to heal that completely . . . Gods, why am I torturing myself like this! His heart and soul are Kikyo's. They have been since the beginning.' She couldn't stop her fingers from tingling where they brushed against his skin.

InuYasha suppressed the urge to groan as her fingertips slid over his chest, leaving tingling flesh in their wake. He couldn't begin to count the number of times he'd dreamed of her touching him like this, but he'd always been so unsure before of how he felt when he'd awoke that he's dismissed it. Seems his heart had been trying to tell him something for months now.

He opened his eyes slightly to look down at her, and was startled to see she was silently crying even as her fingers ran lightly over his stomach of their own accord. 'Oh no . . . why is she crying?!' Impulsively, he reached down and cupped her chin gently in his hand, turning her blue-grey eyes to his golden ones. He rubbed a tear away gently with his thumb, keeping his claws carefully away from her skin.

'Oh no . . .' Kagome thought, staring helplessly into his eyes. 'He's awake! He's going to be mad . . . wait, why does he look . . . concerned? What the . . .'

Not stopping to think, InuYasha bent his head and brushed her lips with his in kiss light as a butterflies wing. "Kagome . . ." he whispered, her name puffing gently across her lips with his breath.

"InuYasha . . ." she sighed, breathless and stunned at the action.

Before she could pull back, he claimed her lips again, adding slight pressure. He ran his tongue lightly across her lower lip, asking her permission, which she gave, her lips parting under his. He deepened the kiss, pouring all his new found feelings for her into it, hoping she would understand. He felt her hands creep up to wrap around his neck, urging him closer.

'Oh my god . . . he's kissing me . . . and he KNOWS it's ME!' Kagome thought dreamily. 'I've wanted him to do this for so long now . . .' Unconsciously, she pressed closer, wishing this moment could last forever.

He broke the kiss regretfully, leaning back to look at her flushed skin and parted lips. Her eyes blinked open and she looked at him wonderingly, her fingertips coming down from his neck to press against her lips. "Am I dreaming?" she whispered. "InuYasha . . ."

His finger to her lips stopped her words. "I'm sorry Kagome . . . I've put you through hell and you didn't deserve that."

Her eyes widened . . . then unexpectedly narrowed and filled with tears. She broke away from him angrily, and stood, trembling. InuYasha stared up at her, confused.

"How DARE you!?" she hissed. "How can you . . . in one minute you give me EVERYTHING I've ever DREAMED . . . and in the next you apologize for it!" Tears spilled angrily down her face as she stared at him, her hurt and betrayal evident.

"Wha . . . Kagome, that's not what . . . Damn it!" he swore as she spun on her heel and fled, not letting him explain. "Damn it wench, come back here!" he shouted, struggling to get to his feet and go after her.

He staggered to the door in time to see Kagome disappear into the woods towards the Goshinboku tree. 'Damn it . . . that came out completely wrong! And of course, she runs off before I can explain . . .' He started towards the forest himself, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't be on your feet, InuYasha," Miroku said firmly, withdrawing his hand as the hanyou turned to glare at him. "Sango's gone after her . . . she'll be fine."

"But . . ." Miroku was surprised to see the look of uncertainty that appeared on InuYasha's face, just before he slumped to his knees. "I need her . . . to understand . . ."

Miroku helped his wounded friend back to his feet and into the hut, where he checked the bandages and changed them again. InuYasha lay still, his head pillowed on his arms, desolate. 'That came out all wrong. I was trying to apologize for everything I've put her through . . . instead, it sounded like I was apologizing for kissing her." He blushed, remembering the feel of her lips under his. What was it she had said . . . "one minute you give me everything I've ever dreamed . . ."? Did that mean . . . that she felt the same way for him as he did for her?

"Relax InuYasha. Sango will talk to her, get her calmed down . . . at least she didn't sit you," Miroku said, looking down at the unmoving hanyou.

  
  


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Kagome collapsed at the foot of the Goshinboku tree, gasping for breath as tears poured down her face. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing in agony as her heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. "Why did he have to kiss me?! Things could have gone on fine as long as he hadn't kissed me!" She'd always pictured her first kiss with InuYasha, but nothing had prepared her for the thrill, the warmth she had felt from that second kiss. Even now, she could still fell it . . . and just when she'd begun to allow herself to hope, he'd apologized! Like it was all some big mistake!

She felt arms wrap around her, and raised tear blurred eyes to Sango's concerned face. "Oh Sango!" she cried, burying her face in her hands again.

"Kagome, what happened?" Sango asked, holding her gently. Kagome had become the sister and best friend she'd never had . . . she hated seeing her torn like this. "What did InuYasha do now?"

Haltingly, Kagome told her about waking up in InuYasha's arms, ending with his apology to her. "I should have know it was too good to be true, Sango. I've dreamed about it for so long . . . and watching him love a woman who isn't even alive anymore . . ." She sighed. "I thought I could handle it . . . as long as I could be near him, I could be happy . . . but this changes everything. Sharing that kiss with him, it brought everything back. All the feeling I've tried so hard to repress . . . just so he could be happy . . . I can't do it anymore, Sango. I just can't." She sat with her knees tucked under her chin, her arms wrapped around them. "You know . . . this is where we first met. I broke the spell Kikyo had on his body . . . I guess I'll never be able to break the one she has over his heart."

Sango sighed and sat back, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Kagome looked so lost . . . but she COULDN'T tell her about the conversation she'd overheard between Miroku and InuYasha. What had been said there was something InuYasha had to tell Kagome . . . hearing it second hand wouldn't do any good. "Good going, hanyou," she muttered to herself. "Open mouth, insert foot . . . again." She shook her head in annoyance. 'Now, how do I get Kagome to go talk to him?' she wondered.

"He tried to follow you out here, you know." Sango told her. Kagome looked up at her quickly. "Miroku stopped him, don't worry." Kagome sighed in relief. "Kagome . . . could he perhaps have meant that differently than how you took it? You know InuYasha tends to say things without thinking . . . he might have been apologizing for something else."

Kagome looked up at her friend hopefully, only to shake her head sadly after a moment. "I've let my hopes get too high too many times, Sango. Maybe it's time I faced the truth in all it's horrible glory. He'll never feel for me the way he does Kikyo."

"Kagome . . . just go talk to him before you make any decisions. You might be surprised." She hugged the girl tightly, then stood. Walking from the clearing, she turned to Kirara. "Keep an eye on her, my friend," she said softly. Kirara mewed gently and bounded over to settle in Kagome's lap, purring as the girl absently petted her. Turning back, she spied Miroku heading down the path in their direction.

She moved to intercept him. "She's fine," she said to him, forestalling any questions. "She just needs to think. Kirara is with her." Miroku nodded and turned to walk at her side back to the village, for once keeping his hands to himself.

  
  


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Kagome returned to the village just as the sun set, deep in thought. Kirara walked at her side, rubbing against an ankle on occasion as if to reassure Kagome she wasn't alone. She approached the hut InuYasha lay in warily, unsure of what she was doing, unaware of the concerned eyes of her friends watching her.

'Maybe I'm making a mistake,' she thought to herself. 'I'm just opening myself up to get hurt again. I should just leave now . . . go home where he can't hurt me anymore.' She paused at the door, turning away briefly before turning back. 'No. I have to know . . . if Sango was wrong or not.' Stiffening her back and steeling her nerves, she walked into the hut.

Three different sighs were expelled at once. "Well, she's taken the first step," Sango said, turning to Miroku and Shippo.

"Let's hope InuYasha is better at speaking his feelings this time," Miroku answered her.

Shippo nodded, his little heart pounding. 'I hope dog boy doesn't drive Kagome away again,' he thought to himself. Kagome had helped fill the void in his life that his parents' deaths had left. 'If he does, maybe she'll let me go with her.' He didn't think he could bear to be without her. He dreaded the completion of the jewel, fearing that once it was done, Kagome would be gone from his life. "Do it right this time dog breath," he whispered, staring at the hut.

Kagome walked into the hut silently. InuYasha lay beside the fire, on his stomach with his head resting on his crossed arms. Firelight played across his face, his golden eyes closed in sleep. As she neared him, she was startled to see tear tracks on his face. 'He's been . . . crying?' she thought, surprised. She sat beside him quietly, watching the light play across his silver white hair. She reached out gently to rub one pointed ear, caressing the soft fur delicately, trying not to wake him. He sighed in his sleep, moving his head to give her better access. She switched to his other ear, gently caressing the tip between her thumb and finger. He groaned, shifting slightly. Kagome froze as he shifted his head into her lap, his cheek resting gently on top of her thigh. 'He's never slept this soundly before . . . he must be exhausted.' She ran her hand lightly over his hair, gently combing out tangles with her fingers. She found it soothing to do so, and continued, reaching over to grab her back pack to lean against.

InuYasha sighed as he felt her hand running over his hair repeatedly, her familiar scent soothing. 'She came back,' he thought to himself. 'Thank you Sango.' He'd begun to worry that he'd seen her for the last time . . . that he'd made the final mistake that pushed her over the edge. 'Now let's hope I can do it RIGHT this time.'

He rolled over carefully, wincing slightly as his back hit the floor, his golden eyes meeting her blue-grey as she froze.

"InuYasha . . ." she murmured, snatching her hand back guiltily. "I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay . . ." he replied.

Kagome turned to stare into the fire. "Why . . . why did you kiss me, InuYasha? I was okay . . . almost happy . . . until you kissed me."

A stab of fear went through him. Had he misunderstood what she said earlier?

"I was prepared to let you go . . . to let you go to hell with Kikyo, if that was what you wanted . . ." she continued. "I buried all my hopes and dreams of you loving me so I could enjoy what time I had with you. But . . . everything is different now. I can't just sit by and let you sacrifice yourself for what you think you owe her, InuYasha. I just can't. It's either I leave now, or I fight for your life, against you if I have to."

"Kagome . . . there's no need for either choice," he said, sitting up carefully to look at her. "What I said earlier . . . I'm not sorry that I kissed you. Hell, I'd kiss you now if what I had to say wasn't so damn important." He grinned at Kagome's shocked expression, then sobered. "Kagome . . . last night scared me. A lot. And it made realize a lot of things I've been hiding from. I . . ."

The clanging of the town bell interrupted him. Miroku burst in, closely followed by Sango. "Demons . . . several . . . attacking the village!" Miroku gasped for air. There was a thump on the roof. The group dove to the floor as claws came through the walls, tearing the hut to shreds like paper.

"Damn it, do I EVER get a moment of PEACE!" InuYasha roared, springing to his feet. Grabbing Tetsusiaga from it's sheath, he sprang into action, adrenaline pushing aside the pain of his half healed back.

A transformed Kirara brought Sango her boomerang. Her and Miroku charged off to help InuYasha, forgetting for the time being that Kagome was left completely undefended.

Kagome stared into the battle, watching her friends defend the village. She shrieked as a hand clapped over her mouth and she was dragged off. "Someone wants to see you," a voice growled in her ear.

She found herself deposited unceremoniously in the clearing of the Bone Eater's Well. Kagome stood, dusting herself off as she looked around. "What in the world? Why did they bring me here?" A rustling in the bushes behind her spun her around to face . . . 

"Kikyo!" Kagome gasped.

  
  


To be continued . . .

  
  


AN - MUAHAHAHAH! Yes, at last, Kikyo shows up. Now, I have very distinct views on Kikyo, so if you are a Kikyo lover . . . I forgive you. Oh wait, I mean . . . well, let's just say Kagome will finally get to get a WHOLE lot off her chest soon. And poor InuYasha . . . he really does never get a moment's peace. There's always something going on.

Yes, I know, long chapter this time. I got to a point where I thought would be a good break off point, and looked at the pages I had left, and said screw it, I'll post it all. Lots and lots of waffiness, right? Come on, you know you love the waff : ) Hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned. Kagome and Kikyo are gonna have it out . . . well, sort of. Don't forget to review : ) 

  
  
  
  



	8. Choices and Acceptance Part 1

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all character (except the bandits) belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas.

  
  


Author's Notes :

  
  


1- For all you Kikyo lovers : Okay folks, here it is. I am not fond of Kikyo. I personally believe what Kagome says in this chapter. If you really love someone, you accept them as they are, not try to change them. Thus, I don't feel Kikyo ever loved InuYasha. If she did, it wasn't a mature love, it was an idealistic one, which is almost as bad. I don't, however, HATE Kikyo. I pity her, and feel that she is one poor lost soul, but I don't like her either. So, forgive me if I bash her just a little.

  
  


2- As for what Kagome says . . . I figured it was about time Kag grew some backbone and stood up to her former incarnation and told her what she really thought of her. With all the emotional ups and downs I've put her through in this story, I figured it was pretty logical that she finally snapped.

  
  


3- To my reviewers - 

Xing@fanfiction.net - hehe, gee, hope you are still alive : ) Keep reading : )

Geminidragon - she's not quite gonna kick her ass, but something a bit better, in my opinion.

KenYasha - stay sane hun, I refuse to leave you all hanging for too long.

Saro - Hope you don't think I'm terribly evil after this one.

Animeangelstar2000 - My thoughts exactly. That poor boy never gets a minute to himself. No, Kikyo will not die however. I don't know how the storyline in the actual anime goes, and don't want to really screw up by killing off major characters that still have a part to play. So, as much as I would love to kill her off, maybe in another story.

NamelessMoonshine - hope you aren't grounded bud.

Aldrean Treu Peri - Wow. Thank you so much. I really had planned this as an emotional roller coaster when I thought of it, but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded. I'm so glad that I did.

Merith - One of my most faithful : ) Hey hun : ) Kag slept through Inu's heart to heart with Miroku cause she was downright emotionally exhausted. Honestly, I think she would have slept through an attack on the village at that point. At least, that's the way I thought of it : )

ArtemisMoon - Okay, Okay, I'm updating *grin*

Blade of Fire - Miroku / Sango pairing . . . the only reason I haven't really done much with them is cause I'm still learning the ins and outs of their characters. I've only seen what Cartoon Network has shown, read up to novel 11 of the manga, and a ton of fan fics, and I wanted to be sure I had a good idea on who they are before I got into them. Expect to see some development for them in a few chapters.

To the rest of you wonderful reviewers I haven't listed - I wanted to thank all of you personally, but realized just how much space I was taking up. So . . . Thank you so much for all your support and ideas and good reviews. I'm so glad you are all enjoying this fic, and hope you will continue reading and enjoying.

  
  


With all that said, on to the story before I get stuff thrown at me or my life threatened.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 5 - Choices and Acceptance (Part 1)

  
  


"Kikyo!" Kagome gasped, staring at the undead miko in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you a choice," she said coldly, drawing an arrow from the quiver at her back.

"What choice, Kikyo?"

"Leave here. Leave InuYasha, leave the Shikon no Tama, leave through that well and do not ever come back."

"Or what, Kikyo? What's my other choice?"

"Die." She held her bow drawn, arrow calmly pointed at Kagome's heart. "InuYasha is mine. He will go to hell with me, and I will be complete, my hatred appeased. You will not stop it, and you will no longer stand in my way."

Fed up with all the emotional ups and downs of the past couple of days, Kagome snapped. "Maybe I've been around InuYasha a bit too long Kikyo . . . but . . . fuck you," she snarled. Kikyo's eyes widened. "You selfish, heartless, dead BITCH!"

InuYasha, charging blindly down the path towards Kagome's scent, skidded to a dead stop. "Was that . . . Kagome?!" he whispered, shocked. He'd never heard anything like that come out of her before. He crept closer, wondering what was going on, until he caught another scent. "Kikyo?" He peered cautiously into the clearing to see his former interest and his love facing off across the old well. He moved to spring into the clearing, only to be stopped as Kagome continued to vent all the pent up emotions she had.

"Don't you fucking realize you've won!? InuYasha loves YOU! Not me . . . you . . . a dead construct of the woman he loved. Hell, he thinks about you all the time . . . as soon as Naraku is dead . . . which he is doing to avenge YOU, I might add . . . he intends fully to go to hell with you! He's doing everything for YOU . . . who couldn't even accept him as himself when you were alive. He's willing to give up his LIFE for you . . . just as he was willing to become HUMAN for you! God, you selfish bitch! Did you ever even love him? Or was he just a convenient way for you to rid yourself of the jewel? Love is accepting someone as they are, no matter who or what they are! How could you EVER say you loved him when you wouldn't accept him as anything but a human!" Kikyo's eyes narrowed during this little speech, the arrow pulling back further as she prepared to shoot.

Kagome took a breath, and opened her arms invitingly towards her former incarnation. "You know what, Kikyo? Go ahead and shoot. Death, at this point, is infinitely preferable to the pain of knowing that InuYasha . . . that my best friend . . . is going to give up his life for some undead bitch who probably never loved him. So, go ahead and do it. I won't stop you . . . You'll be doing me a favor. I'd rather be dead then watch him throw his life away like that."

"I have a much better idea," Kikyo snarled. Glaring at the young girl across from her, she loosed her arrow.

"NO!" InuYasha shouted. Caught off guard by Kagome's speech, he scrambled to interpose himself between the flying arrow and Kagome. He was seconds late. There was a brilliant flash of light as the aura of the undead miko's arrow met with the aura of the untrained young miko from the future. InuYasha spun, shielding his sensitive eyes from the blinding flash.

He spun back to find Kagome pinned to a nearby tree, Kikyo's arrow protruding from her chest. "KAGOME!" he howled, launching himself across the clearing to her. Dropping Tetsusiaga, he cupped her face gently in his hands, noting as he did so that there was no blood from the arrow. "Oh gods, Kagome . . . oh no . . . please . . . no!" he whispered. He brushed her hair back gently, seeking some sign of consciousness from her. There was none. She appeared to be sleeping . . . her skin still warm to the touch, but with no breath, no life in it at all.

He spun to face Kikyo. "What did you do to her!?" he snarled.

The undead miko smiled at him coldly. "I sealed her . . . as I sealed you so long ago. A fitting punishment, I think. Now, she and I will never be reborn. Our story will end when you come to hell with me. Our soul will never have to suffer again." She turned to leave. "Come to me when Naraku is dead and the jewel is complete, InuYasha. I will be waiting." She faded slowly into the forest, InuYasha too stunned to go after her.

  
  


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Sango and Miroku stopped in horror at the primal howl of rage and anguish that arose from the clearing ahead of them.

"Was that . . .?"

"InuYasha," Miroku confirmed. "Something has happened." They ran faster, bursting into the clearing prepared for battle. What met their eyes was not carnage, as they expected, but something they considered infinitely worse - InuYasha, kneeling at the base of a tree, to which Kagome was pinned by an arrow . . . through her heart.

With a cry of disbelief and sorrow, Sango dropped her boomerang, running across the clearing to her kneeling friend, Miroku not far behind.

"Oh no! Kagome! Is she . . ."

"No," came the soft reply from the hanyou. "She's not dead. Kikyo . . ."

Miroku broke in. "Kikyo was here?"

InuYasha nodded, not raising his head to meet their eyes. 'I never got to tell her . . . and now I never will . . .' the thought cycled through his mind over and over again. 'Kagome. . . why?'

Miroku moved to touch the arrow protruding from Kagome's chest. There was a crack, and a blinding flash of light. He pulled his hand back sharply, wincing at the blackened mark on his palm. "It's spelled."

"Yes," InuYasha sighed. "Kikyo . . . sealed her . . . as she did me. Kagome . . . Kagome confronted her . . . about me . . ." he grinned slightly. "She pissed Kikyo off." He himself was still in shock over what Kagome had said. She truly still believed that he had chosen to die with Kikyo . . . he shook his head, and told his companions all of what Kagome had said . . . even leaving in her overly colorful language.

"There has to be a way to break it . . ." Sango muttered. "Didn't Kagome break Kikyo's seal on you?"

"Yes . . ." InuYasha replied, his eyes brightening a little at the thought. "Kaede may know something!" He looked pleadingly at Miroku and Sango. "Will you . . ."

"We'll go get her." Miroku said, clasping the hanyou's shoulder. "Stay here." Turning, he and Sango moved towards the village, retrieving Sango's weapon on the way.

"He's not himself . . . I've never seen him so desolate and . . . polite." Sango murmured.

"He's been through a lot in the last two days as well. Sudden revelations of one's own emotions to one's self can shock anyone, and so much has happened in the past two days . . . to both of them . . . He's had to mature rather suddenly." Miroku replied. "Fate has not been kind to him at all. First the betrayal that Naraku orchestrated, and now, just as he's realized he loves Kagome, she's been taken away, perhaps forever."

Sango glance back to the clearing, where they could just make out InuYasha's huddled red form. "InuYasha . . . he's been cursed since he was born to have a hard life, hasn't he?"

"Being a hanyou . . . belonging to neither their world nor ours . . . yes, his life was destined to be difficult. But even he doesn't deserve everything that Fate has handed him. He's basically good at heart . . .I hope Fate decides he's had enough." Miroku sighed and fell silent, contemplating his own life and what he knew of InuYasha's. Sango walked silently by his side, lost in her own thoughts.

Back in the clearing, InuYasha rose slowly to his feet to approach the still form of his unclaimed love. Cupping her cheek gently in one clawed hand, he rubbed a light thumb over her closed lips. "Kagome . . ." he whispered. "Why did you push Kikyo like that? Do you truly believe everything you said to her? If only you knew . . . it's been months since I really thought about Kikyo as anything other than a debt to repay. Every time I thought of going to hell with her . . . I saw your face, your smile . . . and didn't want to die anymore. Kikyo will have to go to hell without me . . . because the only hell I can imagine is a life without you."

He sighed, dropping to sit cross legged against the tree, he back resting against her legs. "You've changed me Kagome. In so many little ways . . . and I never noticed until now. You gave me back my soul . . . my heart . . . things that slowly disappeared from my life when my mother was killed." He grinned wryly. "You've even given me back my life once or twice . . . and you gave me acceptance and friendship." He sat in silence for a moment. "Please . . . come back to me," he whispered finally. "Don't leave me alone in the dark again."

  
  


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"This spell is different," Kaede stated firmly, after examining Kagome carefully. "Tis not the same spell as that which my sister used to seal thee away InuYasha."

"What do you mean Kaede?" InuYasha asked, his voice gruff.

Kaede turned to him, tucking her hands into her sleeves. "The spell my sister cast upon thee is there, but it has been altered . . . by Kagome."

"WHAT!?" Three different voices echoed through the clearing as Miroku, Sango, and InuYasha all stared at Kaede in shock. Shippo lay asleep at the base of the well, where he had curled into a ball to cry after seeing Kagome.

"Kagome seems to have modified the spell as it hit her. She may have done it unconsciously, but there appears to be a . . ." she searched for the word, "a gap in the spell . . . like a keyhole . . . as if, when the spell hit her, she made a way for her to be awoke. But . . . I know not what that way may be."

"How can we find out?" InuYasha asked, controlling his impatience with the elderly miko at the thought of a possible way of waking Kagome.

"Kagome's soul is . . . suspended, between life and death. There be only one possible way to reach her . . . if it is indeed at all possible. And it will take some time to prepare."

"What will it take, Lady Kaede?" Miroku asked, seeing InuYasha's ears flatten in despair at her words.

"It will take but a month to prepare the spell . . .at the very least. Someone with a strong tie to Kagome's soul will have to try to enter into her dream state and discover what she did to the spell." Three pairs of eyes turned to the hanyou sitting at the base of the tree.

"I'll do it." InuYasha said. "But I have one thing I must do first."

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN : So, what is it InuYasha has to do before he undergoes Kaede's spell? And can the seal Kikyo place on Kagome be broken? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

  
  


Future Warning : okay, here it is. Chapter 6 will contain a LEMON! Not an overly pathetic one, but a lemon none the less. I will post a warning at the beginning of the chapter. Now, before you all decide to kill me, here's the deal . . . I wrote chapter 6 so that It would fit into the story with or without the lemon section, so if you aren't of age, you won't be getting lost by not reading it. I will post the section separately . . . as in Chapter 6 Part 1, Chapter 6 Part 2 (lemon), and Chapter 6 Part 3. And yes, I will post it all at once so people don't send me death threats. So, consider yourselves warned and please keep me out of trouble. Thanks, and don't forget to review : )

  
  


PS : oh, and before I forget . . . I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes going "Well, there goes another perfectly good story down the drain." just because there will be a lemon. I beg you, don't judge it until you read it. Trust me, I'm not another 13 year old trying to write about something I've never experienced : ) I'm a bit older then that ; ) So no, it won't be smut. I like to think of it as a tastefully done love scene.


	9. Choices and Acceptance Part 2

Disclaimer : I do not own InuYasha. I wish I did *drool* : ) InuYasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who is a living goddess for creating such wonderful characters and letting us use them for our own twisted ideas.

  
  


Author's Notes: 

1- Before all, thank you again for all the wonderful reviews : ) You guys keep adding fuel to the fire that's powering my writing, so please, keep reviewing : ) You're feeding my ego and I love you all for it.

2- I know a lot of you are wondering where I'm going with this and how it all ends. I wish I could tell you, but frankly, I haven't a clue either. My mind is running the wheel, and it is still refusing to tell me anything but what it wants me to write : ) So, trust to my mind : ) Oh, before I go getting stuff thrown at me and death threats or what not . . . I've come to a bit of a traffic jam. *holds her hands up to forestall reviewers* I'm slowly unclogging the thought process' though, so don't worry.

3- Wow . . . 5 people have me on their fav. Author's list. What a compliment, I mean . . . WOW! I'm so speechless there. This is my first EVER writing of any type that I've ever posted, and to get such an overwhelmingly good response is just . . . well, I'm speechless. Thank you all so much for making my first jump into writing a memorable and enjoyable one. And, with that said, on to the story.

  
  


Last time :

  
  


Kagome's been sealed to a tree. There may be a way to break the spell. But, InuYasha has something he needs to take care of first. 

  
  


Chapter 5 Part 2

  
  
  
  


InuYasha walked out of the well house cautiously, unsure of what he was about to do. "She deserves to know what happened," he muttered to himself for the hundredth time, trying to reassure himself of his course of action. Still, he didn't look forward to telling Kagome's mother that her daughter might not be coming back to her . . . ever. Mrs. Higurashi had been very kind to him . . . and he had failed to keep her daughter safe.

He approached the door to the Higurashi household with every fibre of his being shivering in dread. Sota answered his knock, a smile of greeting blossoming on his face as he found his hero at the door. "InuYasha!" he cried. His smile slipped from his face as he took in the hanyou's ragged appearance and drawn face.

"I . . . I need to speak with your mother, Sota." As if summoned, Mrs. Higurashi appeared at the door to the living room behind Sota.

"Come in, InuYasha. Sota, go help your grandfather in his office."

"But, Mom . . ."

"Now Sota." Picking up on his mother's strained tone, he retreated up the stairs, shooting worried glances behind him the whole way.

Seating InuYasha on the sofa, Mrs, Higurashi perched next to him.

"What's happened to Kagome, InuYasha?" she asked quietly.

Slowly, InuYasha recounted the events of the last two days , since Kagome had come back through the well. He glossed over the bandit's attempted rape and the developments in his relationship with Kagome, figuring that what he did have to tell her would be more than enough to take in without adding that to the mix.

Mrs. Higurashi sat beside him, sobbing, as he fell silent. They remained that way for a few moments, then suddenly InuYasha moved, kneeling in front of the crying woman with his head bowed.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Higurashi. I . . . I failed you . . . and I failed her . . . and now I may have lost her . . ." he murmured, tears spilling down his face silently. He felt Mrs. Higurashi move, and steeled himself against the blow he knew he deserved. Instead, he found himself wrapped in a tight embrace.

Kagome's mother hugged him tightly. "Don't you DARE blame yourself, InuYasha! I always knew how dangerous it was for her to be there with you . . . and you've done a wonderful job protecting my daughter." She felt the boy in her arms break down completely, the stoic mask he kept up falling as he sobbed helplessly, all the stress of the last few days overwhelming him at last. She held him tighter, her own eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated on comforting him. 'This poor boy . . . he's had to be strong for so long . . . and he's been all alone most of his life . . .'

"I know you'll bring her back to us if you can, InuYasha." she murmured, stroking his hair as she'd done to Kagome so many times. "You know . . . she cares about you a great deal." She felt him stiffen and smiled to herself. "There have been many times that she's come home crying, and I've wanted to knock your head in for hurting her heart . . . but you care just as much for her, don't you?"

InuYasha pulled away from her so he could look into her calm, mature eyes. She smiled at his obvious confusion. "Mother's know these things, dear." He smiled at her wry tone, and then jumped as she took his clawed hands in her own. "InuYasha . . ." she said slowly, staring into his eyes to be sure he understood everything she was about to say, "I look upon you as a son." She watched his golden amber orbs widen in surprise. "And . . . I would be honored if you saw us as your family and this as your home. You are welcome here . . . anytime." She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to reply. "Even if . . ." she swallowed, holding back tears, "even if you can't break the spell holding Kagome . . . you're welcome to come here when the quest is done . . . if you want to."

InuYasha stared at her, speechless. She . . . she saw him as a son? And would let him live here . . . even though he had failed to protect her daughter?! This was . . . this was an acceptance he'd never expected . . . ever! After a few moments of stunned silence, he found his voice again.

"You would . . . accept . . . a hanyou . . . into your family?" he whispered hoarsely.

Kagome's mother sighed. "InuYasha . . . when are you going to realize you are MUCH more than just your heritage? Kagome doesn't care about that . . . and frankly, neither do I."

She stood, pulling him up beside her. "I'll walk you to the well house," she said, sliding an arm through one of his. They walked slowly from the house towards the well. "Bring her back to us if you can, InuYasha. I know you'll try your best." She gave him a small nudge towards the well.

He turned after a few steps and returned to her, giving her a small, quick hug. "I promise I'll bring her back . . . and . . . thank you." A slight blush stained his cheeks, and he quickly stepped away, leaping to the edge of the well, and then abruptly jumping in.

"I know you will, InuYasha . . . and you're welcome . . . son," she whispered in to the dark.

  
  


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InuYasha returned to his own time feeling better then he had in days. Jumping out of the well, he walked across the grass to Kagome's still form. Cupping her face gently between his two hands, he brushed his lips lightly over hers.

"I'm coming for you Kagome. We have to beat Naraku together . . . and there is still a lot that needs to be cleared up between the two of us," he whispered.

He leaped lightly into the branches above Kagome, resting his back against the trunk carefully with his legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles. His back was still slightly tender from the bandit's attack, but the wound had healed nicely. He was very relieved at that, since he would be the sole defender of the jewel shards they had collected so far for the next few weeks. He fingered the necklace where it lay, then moved his fingers over the prayer beads he still wore. As much as he resented the spell on them, he would probably never get rid of them - even if Kagome were to ever remove them. They, above all, were a physical representation of his connection to her. He looked down at her still form, then stared back up at the sky above.

Sango and Miroku were retrieving the items Kaede had requested as necessary for the attempt to reach Kagome to get the information they needed. Shippo had gone with them . . . the little kitsune was an emotional wreck, and they hoped that letting him help in the preparations would snap him out of his depression over Kagome. The old miko herself was buried in ancient scrolls, combing through them to gain as much information as she could get out of them.

InuYasha glanced back down as movement near the base of the tree caught his attention. Some villagers and their children were laying flowers at the base of the tree, their expressions sorrowful. He frowned at them. "They act as if she's dead and gone," he growled to himself.

He watched a tiny girl run back across the clearing from her mother. He'd never paid much attention to the village children, although he knew Kagome played with them from time to time. Actually, he'd never paid attention to any of the humans in the village. Most of them watched him with suspicion, and a few with open hostility, so he avoided them as much as was possible. He'd never really thought of why . . .but now he realized most of them had been just children themselves when he'd attacked the village on the day Kikyo sealed him to the tree.

He watched the young girl as she ran up to hug Kagome's legs. "Please come back to us soon, Lady Kagome," she whispered, before running back to her waiting mother.

"One month, Kagome," he murmured. "I can live without you that long . . . I think."

  
  


To Be Continued (I swear)

  
  
  
  


AN : AHOY THERE! WAFF ALERT! Hehehe, okay, so not quite so sappy, but I thought I just had to throw a scene in there with the present day Higurashi's. Sweet, ne? Okay folks, Chapter 6 will be up on Sunday, and don't forget . . . Chap 6 Part 1 will be safe, Chap 6 Part 2 is what you lovingly call a LEMON! And what I call a tastefully done love (sex) scene. There's some cute and mushy stuff in there too. 

And yes, if you are not old enough, don't read it. You won't miss very much that will affect the later story by not reading it, it just adds a little flavor . . . sort of like the whip cream on the hot chocolate Sunday . . . of course, there are those of us who like nothing but whip cream (oops, did I say that out loud?)

Duh, on a last note . . . okay, I'm a MAJOR hentai, and have been looking for perverted pictures * throws up her hands* don't kill me, I'm just curious . . . so, if you know a good place where I could see some, give me a web addy : P Fuel my brain somemore ; )


	10. In Dreams Part 1

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes - This is the first part of Chapter 6. The next part is a LEMON! You know what that means people . . . if you're under age, don't read it. And if you do, I'm not responsible, ne?

Okay . . . and for the more difficult part . . .Kikyo : P A thanks must go to Sango-Chan for her fic Second Chances, which sort of made me sit back and think on Inu and Kikyo's relationship. Don't get me wrong, I am still and always will be pro Kagome there, but she had a point in her rant at the beginning of chapter 4, and I have to give her props for it. That being said, there may be a chapter in here later on that undoes some of the damage in Chapter 5 . . . note I said MAYBE! My mind is still working around that little thought. If you are a Kikyo lover, don't hate me, I just am not fond of that woman. If you are a Kagome lover, don't hate me for having a bit of a difference in view all the sudden. And please, don't stop reading the story cause you don't like my feelings on either. It breaks my heart to know my readers might stop reading cause they didn't like the way something was put . . .

  
  


With that said, on with Chapter 6, part 1 and lemony 2.

  
  


And before we start, a quote that inspired me to write this section.

  
  


"In dreams, desire tends to satisfy itself in imagery for the higher faculties no longer inhibit the passions." - Unknown

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 6 - In Dreams

  
  


One month and four days after Kikyo had sealed Kagome to the tree, they were ready for their attempt to reach her. Kaede, Sango, Miroku, and InuYasha gathered near the Bone Eater's Well, their hands full of spell components. Sango and Miroku took posts beside the well on opposite sides, alert for any demons should they approach while InuYasha was under the spell. Shippo and Kirara remained in the village, with Kirara guarding the drugged young kitsune.

"Remember, InuYasha, ye will be entering Kagome's dream state. Ye will be unable to affect anything until you reach Kagome herself . . . and she could be anywhere. Ye must get her to tell thee how she changed the spell . . . or at least what her last thoughts were before she was hit by it."

"I know, Kaede," he growled, impatient. "We've been over this a dozen times already."

"Aye, but thee must not allow thyself to get caught up in what is going on around thee. Ye must remember your reason for being there . . . or else we could very well lose ye both."

InuYasha nodded as he sat at the base of the tree, leaning back against Kagome's legs. He watched as Kaede began the spell, chanting as she build up a small fire, adding various herbs and grasses from time to time. The sweet scented smoke puffed out steadily, and he inhaled as deeply as he could, taking it steadily into his lungs at Kaede's urging. He felt his mind beginning to fuzz, and clutched the Shikon No Tama tighter in his grasp, using it's sharp edges to keep himself focused on his task.

"Kagome . . ." he murmured, his eyes dropping closed. His head fell forward, chin dropping to his chest, his white hair falling forward to act as a curtain to his face.

"He's gone in," he heard Kaede say as if from a great distance. Miroku and Sango murmured something in return, but he didn't catch what.

InuYasha fell into the dream.

  
  


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It was dark . . . a completely empty void of light. Then, suddenly, he was in his forest, near the Goshinboku tree.

"What the hell . . ." he murmured, disoriented. He could sense Kagome nearby, but his senses seemed to warp the more he tried to concentrate on them. Discarding his senses, he used what his instincts told him, and began to move at a left angle to the tree he'd been sealed to. "Gah, Kagome, where the hell are you?" he muttered.

A clearing appeared ahead of him, not one that he recognized from the actual forest he was in. The air hung with a sense of malice and sadness . . . and despair. He approached cautiously, unsure of what he was walking into, but froze in shock at the scene that greeted him as he entered the clearing.

Kagome stood, her back to him, watching a couple across a flowing stream. InuYasha peered at the couple so engrossed in each other's arms, and his heart nearly stopped. It was him . . . with Kikyo! His dream self and the undead miko broke apart and turned as one to face the girl across the way. They stood easily, the dream InuYasha's arm wrapped lovingly around the dream Kikyo's waist, a sneer of disgust on his face. Beside him, the undead miko smiled coldly, toying with the rosary necklace lovingly.

"You foolish little girl . . . did you truly ever think I would love you?" his dream self growled. "You're pitiful . . . useless . . . pathetic . . . just a weak human girl . . . nothing but a flawed and imperfect copy of my true love. The only thing you've ever done for me was be a shard detector . . . and the only reason we need you for that is cause you broke the jewel in the first place." His grip on the dream Kikyo tightened possessively.

"You'll never be me, little girl," the dream Kikyo stated, her cold eyes traveling over the shivering girl across from her with contempt. "You can't even control your miko powers, or shoot a bow and arrow reliably. You are, and have always been, nothing. Useless and pathetic . . . you couldn't possibly be my reincarnation." She shuddered in disgust as Kagome wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shivering. "InuYasha is mine, and will always be mine. You are nothing to anyone." The undead miko laughed, turning to share a passionate kiss with the man at her side, and together they turned their backs on the girl from the future, walking off into the mists.

InuYasha, frozen in shock, looked back to Kagome. She had collapsed to her knees, tears pouring down her face as she sobbed. He could just hear her mumbling to herself.

"You are worthless, how could you ever expect him to love you, you're nothing like Kikyo, he's said it to you so many times, how could you even think he might come to choose you over her . . ." over and over again she mumbled, sobbing into her knees. InuYasha moved to go to her, but stopped dead in his tracks as the forest and the girl before him disappeared in a flash of light.

He found himself standing in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by chairs, desks and books. "Is this that "school" thing she's tried to describe to me?' he wondered, examining his surroundings. Suddenly, there was an elderly man and Kagome standing near the front of the room. 'What in the . . .' The man was looking down sorrowfully at Kagome, who stood in her school uniform, her hands crossed desperately in front of her.

"Miss Higurashi . . . I'm afraid that your final grades were . . . less than satisfactory for a well placed highschool to be willing to accept you." A look of dread crossed Kagome features. "In fact, they were so low that it has been decided that it would be best that you not continue your schooling. With you health causing such innumerable absences . . . it's best that you find another way to make it in this world. It is a shame, cause you seemed like such a bright pupil. A letter will be sent home."

Kagome shivered and stared at the floor as InuYasha approached from behind her. "I failed . . ." she mumbled. "All that hard work and I failed . . . I failed everyone . . ."

  
  


*FLASH*

He was back in the clearing before the Goshinboku tree. Disoriented he looked around, and saw himself as he had been before Kagome awoke him, sealed to the tree in his death. He watched from the sidelines as Kagome relived her memory of finding him, and grimaced when she played with his ears. "I always wondered why they felt funny when I woke up . . . like the fur had been rubbed the wrong way," he muttered. "Damn woman."

  
  


*FLASH*

He stood surrounded by burial markers. Spinning in a circle, he spied Kagome nearby . . . or what he thought was Kagome. A young girl stood next to a younger Mrs. Higurashi, staring down at a fresh burial plot in the pouring rain. He moved nearer, noticing as he did so that Mrs. Higurashi was some months pregnant, and the young girl beside her was shedding no tears, but rather, stood with a disbelieving look on her face.

He was close enough to read the stone. "Higurashi, beloved husband and father . . ."

  
  
  
  


*FLASH*

That night a couple of days ago, the way it could have turned out. He watched, unable to interfere, as Kagome was raped again and again by the bandit, his cold body lying just a few feet away. He gagged and retched at the feeling of rage and horror that engulfed him, his body screaming at him to do something even as his mind knew that he couldn't affect anything till he found the real Kagome. His heart twisted in him painfully at every ragged cry, every scream of pain and denial the figure before him uttered. He stood there helplessly when she at last fell silent, her body alive but her spirit broken, as dead in soul as his corpse beside her was.

  
  


*FLASH*

Another forest clearing. Kagome watched, surrounded by soul-stealing youkai as Kikyo and he poured their hearts out, and then Kikyo kissed him and dragged him into hell with her, leaving Kagome to watch helplessly as he disappeared from her life forever.

"This is that night we first ran into Kikyo after she fell from the cliff! But, this isn't how it went!"

  
  


*FLASH*

Nothingness. Blank, empty, overwhelming darkness. InuYasha looked around, still stunned at the images he'd lived through and witnessed. 'She's not dreaming . . . she's trapped in an endless cycle of her nightmares and memories . . .' he realized, horrified at the mental torture she was going through.

"KAGOME!" he shouted into the void, spinning in a circle.

"Inu . . . InuYasha?" Her voice came to him from everywhere and yet nowhere.

"Yes Kagome, it's me. I'm here!"

"I can't find you . . ." she sounded forlorn, lost and hopeless. He had to do something before he lost her again.

"Follow the sound of my voice Kagome. Follow it to me . . . you can do this, I know you can . . ."

His surroundings gradually lightened as he talked, encouraging her to follow his voice. Slowly, the clearing surrounding the Goshinboku tree became visible to him. Kagome stood before the tree, staring up at the scar Kikyo's sealing arrow had made in the ancient tree's bark, her back to him.

"Kagome?" he whispered, approaching her slowly.

"Are you just another dream?" she whispered as he stopped beside her. She refused to look at him . . . afraid he would disappear or that Kikyo would be beside him. She'd seen him choose Kikyo so many times now . . .or had to watch him die . . .

"No Kagome. It's me." He reached out and turned her towards him gently. Her eyes were haunted, shoulders slumped in defeat. He pulled her lightly to him, enfolding her into his embrace, pressing her to his chest protectively.

"InuYasha . . ." she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Is this a dream?"

"Yes and no, Kagome. Do you remember anything of what happened?" He felt her stiffen in his arms.

"Kikyo . . . fired an arrow at me . . ." she shuddered. "Am I dead?"

"No," he replied gruffly, pulling her slightly away to stare into her eyes. "Kikyo sealed you . . . remember how you first found me?" She nodded slowly. "Somehow you managed to put a . . . hole in the spell. Do you know what you did?"

"No . . . I remember a flash of light . . . and wishing . . ." She fell silent.

"Kagome . . .you have to answer me. You have to stay with me . . . tell me, please . . ."

"I remember wishing that you all were there . . . so that I could say goodbye and that I was sorry."

"That's all?" he asked gently.

"Yes. I wished that I could say goodbye to all of you . . . and . . ."

He stared down at her as she looked away, towards the tree. "Kagome . . . tell me please . . . it's important, I swear . . ."

She turned to look back up at him and slowly broke away from his embrace. A couple of steps away, she turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around herself as if cold.

"And I wished . . . I could tell you . . . how much I loved you . . ." she murmured softly.

InuYasha stared at her back in shock. 'She . . she loves me?! She . . . DOES love me!' His heart leapt and began to pound painfully within him.

Kagome listened to his silence with a sinking heart, her whole existence in agony. 'Well, now he knows.' she thought, despair wrapping around her heart in choking waves. 'I might as well let him hear all of it.'

"Yes, I love you . . . even though you love Kikyo," she murmured. "I couldn't help it. I know you'll never love me . . . but I still wanted you to know . . ." She jumped as she felt his arms wrap around her, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder as he held her in a tight embrace.

"You're wrong, Kagome. I don't love Kikyo . . . I've come to the conclusion that I never really did . . ." He breathed in her scent, marveling at how gentle and comforting it was to him. This wasn't the way he'd wanted to tell her . . . but it might be the only chance he ever got. "I love you Kagome. Only and always you."

"You . . . love . . . me?" she whispered, hardly daring to believe the words. "As . . . myself?"

"Yes," he sighed. "You are Kagome . . . the one I love. Not Kikyo, not Kikyo's reincarnation or copy. Just Kagome. It just took me a long damn time to realize it." He turned her gently around to face him. "I love YOU, Kagome . . . who you are, what you are, how you are. And you're not useless, or pathetic, or weak. Not at all."

Tears spilled silently down her cheeks, which he brushed away gently with his thumb. "And I wasn't apologizing for kissing you, you know . . . I was apologizing for all the stupid shit I've done that's hurt you. I was so confused . . . but I'm not anymore. Kikyo was just someone who understood my loneliness, my pain . . . and now she is just someone I have to avenge, a debt to repay. That's all. My heart and my soul are yours Kagome. I just . . . couldn't get up the courage to tell you before this."

"Oh, InuYasha!" she cried, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his yukata. " I . . . I was so afraid . . . I'd given up hope . . ."

InuYasha held Kagome tightly to him. 'At least now she knows . . . if this doesn't work . . . at least I got a chance to tell her.' He stared down into her now upturned face, warming himself in the blaze of love that shone in her eyes. 'This has to work! I can't lose her . . . not now.' Before he could think, he bent down to capture her lips in a desperate kiss, pouring his love and fear into it. His tongue flicked out gently to taste her, and he was pleasantly surprised when she returned his advance with one of her own, running her tongue lightly over his fangs before delving deeper. He gentled the kiss, turning it into one of passion rather than desperation as he ran a gentle hand down her back to settle at her waist, pulling her tightly against him.

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


WARNING : THE NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT OF THE APPROPRIATE AGE.

  
  


There, that's out of the way : ) On to the lemon. Oh, and if you are not of age, skipping the next chapter will not hurt the story line at all, I promise! I deliberately wrote it that way.


	11. Awakenings

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  


Author's Notes- See the bottom this time people ; )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 7 - Awakenings

  
  


InuYasha sat up suddenly, his eyes popping open. "Kagome!" he whispered. He could still feel her in his arms, taste her on his lips . . .

"InuYasha? Was thee successful in reaching Kagome?" Kaede's voice broke into his thoughts.

He nodded, unable to find his voice. It had felt so real . . . he pushed the memory away, carefully preserving it in his heart. He focused his eyes on the old miko in front of him, using her image to wake himself.

"What did she say, InuYasha?"

His voice hoarse, he repeated what Kagome had told him in the dream. He nodded gratefully to Miroku as the priest handed him a flask of water, which he downed quickly. The old miko sat lost in thought as he stood and walked shakily around the clearing, trying to restore his mobility. He felt relaxed . . . more so then he ever had . . . but at the same time he was restless. 'It all felt so real . . .' he mused. He turned to look at the unmoving figure of Kagome. 'My mate,' he thought possessively, then stopped himself. 'She's only your mate in a dream, baka. She may not ever remember . . .' He found his heart aching at that thought, and shook his head to clear it.

"InuYasha . . ."

"What Miroku?"

"You seem . . . agitated. Did something happen in there?" Miroku asked carefully.

"She . . . she's trapped in a nightmare, priest. She's reliving old memories and her fears are becoming reality before her eyes in there. She thought I was a dream at first. Will she . . ." He sighed. "I don't know if she'll come out of this in one piece, Miroku."

He nearly jumped into a nearby tree as he felt Miroku pat him on the shoulder. "InuYasha . . . I'm sure Kagome will come out of it fine. She's a strong young woman . . . she's had to be. And, I suspect that's not all that's on your mind. You told her, didn't you?" He grinned at the hanyou's sudden blush. "And now you're worried that she'll think that was just another dream. Don't worry. It will all come out as the gods intend it to, InuYasha. The two of you have been hiding from your feelings and each other for so long . . . even the gods have to take pity on you eventually."

"Yeah, but will they decide to do so now or later?" InuYasha grumbled.

Miroku grinned at him. "You can always tell her when she wakes up, my friend. Now, we are heading back to the village. Kaede wants to go through those scrolls again. What Kagome told you was not the most helpful of clues. But, it was worth it if you two finally got all those emotions out into the open."

InuYasha watched them walk from the clearing, and leaped back into Kagome's tree, lost in his own thoughts once again.

  
  


----------*-----------*-----------*-----------*-----------

  
  


The group slept little in the following weeks. Kaede read and re-read old scrolls, trying to find some clue to awakening Kagome. Sango and Miroku kept a careful eye on their youkai companions, as both slipped further and further into a hopeless depression. InuYasha moved from his perch in Kagome's tree only to defend her or the jewel shards from wandering youkai, and Shippo remained curled into a ball in Kagome's sleeping bag, eating only when he was forced to.

"Do you think he will recover if we can't wake her?" Sango asked Miroku, staring up into the foliage of the tree from where she sat across the clearing. She could just barely make out a flash of red and silver, high up in the thick branches above Kagome.

Miroku just shook his head, then attempted to inch closer. He stopped as Sango's hand moved just as slowly towards her boomerang. "I do not know, Sango. From what little I have gotten out of him, they made a good start on getting everything between them out into the open in that dream. The longer she is sealed, the less hope he has of ever being able to be with her in reality . . . and he's very worried about her. He said she was trapped in her memories and nightmares, living them over and over again . . . he's concerned for her sanity."

Sango went white as what Miroku said hit her. "Oh, poor Kagome . . ." she whispered, staring at the still figure of her best friend. She rose slowly to her feet, Miroku mirroring her movement. "Let's go see if Kaede has come up with any ideas yet."

InuYasha watched as the two of them moved off towards the village. He knew they were worried about him . . . but he was more worried about the girl below him. He could feel his heart breaking a piece at a time, a little piece every day that she remained sealed to the tree he sat in. Unbidden, his amber eyes filled with tears which he quickly dashed away with the back of his hand. He had no time for tears now, and he refused to mourn her as if she was already lost to him. If it took him recovering the entire jewel himself so he could use it to set her free, so be it. He would not leave her in her nightmares. Staring up at the moon, he lost himself in remembering the dream again, something he had done frequently in the last couple of weeks, trying to stem the flow of despair that seemed to be unending to him.

So caught up was he in his memories that he almost missed a familiar scent drifting across the clearing to him. "Kikyo!" he growled, rolling from his perch to land lightly on all fours in front of Kagome, on guard against any attacks.

The undead miko stood at the edge of the clearing a short distance away from him, staring at him coldly. "So, you remain here . . . beside that copy . . . instead of continuing your quest for the shards so that you may repay your debt to me."

"She isn't your copy Kikyo. She never has been. She's nothing like the you I know now, and very little like the you I knew then," he growled out softly. He straightened from his crouch, no longer quite as defensive, but not really relaxing either.

"So you betray me again, for real this time. And all for my reincarnation, when you could have the original love."

"You aren't the same, Kikyo. You haven't been for over 50 years now." He walked carefully across the grass towards her, his hands loose at his sides. "I thought I loved you once . . . and maybe I did, in an immature kind of way. And I thought you loved me in return. But it wasn't love, Kikyo . . . it was a mutual need to reach out and find someone to hold on to in our loneliness." He silently thanked the 'sigh-kol-oh-gee' book he had found in Kagome's pack. Reading it out of boredom had led him to a lot of insights about him and Kikyo's relationship that he probably would never have reached on his own. Who would have guessed that something from Kagome's time would help him so much?

"She's changed you InuYasha. She's softened you, made you more human."

He shook his head, stopping in front of her to stare down into her cold eyes. "No, Kikyo . . . she just made me realize that what I am is not a bad thing. She made me realize I got the best of both worlds by being a hanyou . . . not the worst, as I originally believed. She made me live again . . . in all ways, not just by unsealing me. She awoke my heart, and without my even knowing it, began to heal it. All we could have ever been to each other was a comfort Kikyo . . . we both had too much . . ." he dug around for the words he'd learned " . . . "emotional scarring" to really ever help heal each other. She's so innocent and free of all of that . . ."

Kikyo reached for him, raising her hand to caress his cheek gently, but stopped as he unconsciously flinched away from her touch. She narrowed her eyes in anger, and slapped him. "You owe me!" she hissed. "If it weren't for you I would have lived! I let my guard down for you and made myself weak! And this is how you repay me?!"

InuYasha glared back at her, rubbing his cheek absently, as he replied. "I owe you nothing but a clean death so you can rest in peace, Kikyo. Had we trusted each other, we both would have lived. Naraku knew right where to hit us and do the most damage."

"So now you seek to kill me again?" she replied. "That girl has poisoned you against me from the start, and now she again stands in the way, without even being here." She smiled coldly. "So, perhaps it is time I removed her from the situation entirely." Stepping closer, she quickly laid her hands against InuYasha's chest, summoning her miko powers to blast him across the clearing into the forest beyond.

He howled as the energy burned into him, not even feeling the trees he crashed through as they broke around his flying body. He landed, rolling quickly to his feet to charge back to the clearing, ignoring the pain as best he could. He froze as he entered the clearing and faced a bow wielding Kikyo, arrow knocked and ready to fly.

"You WILL come to hell with me InuYasha." she stated, her voice cold and empty. She loosed the arrow . . . straight at the still form of Kagome.

"Kagome!" he shouted, running to intercept the arrow before it could hit her. He closed his eyes, knowing that this time, the arrow would kill, not seal him as it had before.

Warm white light enveloped him. 'This must be death,' he thought calmly. 'Funny, I don't feel any pain.' He vaguely heard Kikyo scream in rage. "NO! HE'S MINE!"

'Now wait a . . . if I'm dead . . .' He opened his eyes. The arrow was halted in mid air, inches from his heart. 'What in the seven hells . . .?' His gaze rose to find Kikyo enveloped in an angry rd light, the captured souls of the dead that she used to remain animated fleeing her body like escaping fireflies. He spun to look behind him . . . to find himself staring into a pair of very blue, very ANGRY, eyes.

"No, Kikyo . . . he's NOT yours!" Kagome snarled, her hands glowing with the same angry red light as they were held out towards the writhing undead miko. "He was NEVER yours! He is not anyone's unless he chooses to be, and I will NOT let you take him to hell over some misguided sense of him being responsible for your death. Go to hell by yourself!" The light intensified, pulsing in anger in time with Kagome's awakened heart beat. Behind him, InuYasha heard Kikyo scream.

"Kagome . . ." he whispered in awe.

  
  


*------------*------------*------------*------------*

  
  


Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kaede, and Kirara all stumbled into the clearing , their eyes widening at the scene before them.

"Kagome . . . she's . . ." Sango whispered.

"Awake," Miroku finished for her, his eyes on the battle before him.

Kaede was the first to react to what was going on. "Kagome, child, ye must stop! If you kill her using thy miko powers, ye will be condemned to hell!" Kagome did not react. She turned her attention to InuYasha. "Ye must stop her InuYasha, or else we chance losing both!"

InuYasha sprang into action, spinning to snap the arrow in midair behind him in half before turning his attention to Kagome.

"Kagome, stop . . ." he whispered. "Please . . ."

"No InuYasha," she replied, her voice shaking with pent up rage. "She doesn't belong here anymore."

"Not like this, Kagome. Don't use your powers like this." He watched the light sputter, then intensify.

"She's . . . hurt you . . . for the . . . last . . . time!" Kagome growled as the light became unbearable to look at.

'Damn it, there has to be some way . . . .' He had a sudden thought. 'I'm gonna get sat into the next millennia for this, but . . .' InuYasha walked into her outstretched arms, took her face gently into his hands, and kissed her. He felt her tense as if to fight him off, then she relaxed, her arms wrapping around him loosely. He deepened the kiss, brushing his fangs lightly against her lips, happy to be doing this and getting a response after the weeks without her. 

'Get out of here, Kikyo. At this point, I'm inclined to let her kill you, just to make her happy.' he thought as he felt her hands tangle in his hair gently.

"Well, that's certainly one way of distracting her," Miroku murmured as the red light sputtered and died out entirely. Kikyo, once released, spun and fled into the woods, gasping and clutching at her chest. Sango moved to pursue her, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. "We have more important concerns to deal with right now, Sango. She won't be returning anytime soon." Together, the group moved towards Kagome and InuYasha.

InuYasha broke the kiss regretfully, then reached cautiously for the spelled arrow. He wrapped his hand around it and tugged, watching as it disintegrated in a flash of light, just as his own had so many months ago. He caught Kagome in his arms and cradled her to his chest, looking down into her clouding eyes.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why . . . did you . . . save her . . . again? I . . ." His finger resting gently against her lips stopped her words.

"I have to be the one that lays her to rest, Kagome. She's my responsibility."

"Oh," she sighed. Her eyes drifted closed, her breathing deepening as she passed into unconsciousness. InuYasha stared down at her face for a moment, then slowly got to his feet, cradling her in his arms carefully. Glancing momentarily in the direction Kikyo had fled, he carried the sleeping girl towards the village, the others falling in behind him.

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


Author's Notes - You bunch of pervs! Trying to get me having them act out what was going on in the dream in reality too! What's a matter with you! *smack*

Hehehe, okay, okay, so I'm not much better most of the time. I'm sorry, I just couldn't do that to Kagome or my poor Inu. That boy gets enough flack for being an emotional wreck without me giving Miroku more ammo.

  
  


A thanks goes out to ALL my reviewers, both past and present. You guys are really great, you know that? I was so nervous about posting this, cause I have NEVER done something like this before, and you guys have just made it all so worthwhile. I love you all! *hugs and Inu dolls all around*

  
  


And now, for the really bad part - 

  
  


I'M STUCK!

  
  


Yes, folks, writer's block has set in. I'm trying to work out all the snarls and tangles my poor little mind is wrapped up in, but it isn't going to good. And I've come to the end of all the stuff I had written with this post. So, posting is gonna slow down to once a week until I get all the knots out. I am NOT dropping this fic though. I would never do that to anyone, especially not after the number of fics I've read that I got really caught up in only to have them never get finished. That drives me nuts. If you aren't gonna EVER finish a fic, at least remove it : ( Geesh. Well, folks, at any rate, here's chapter 7, a long chapter to make up for the next few weeks. Enjoy, and as always, read and review if you love me : )


	12. Interludes

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes: Well, here it is, another chapter. And a whole one, at that : ) Wow, what do you know? Hehe, anyway, as always, thank you to all my reviewers, and especially all of you who answered my question : ) This chapter is dedicated to you guys (and gals) : ) Now, as for my writer's block, let me magnify on that . . . it's not that I don't have ideas of where to go . . . my problem is figuring out how to go about getting them to happen naturally. I'm a firm believer in not forcing my writing, which makes it a pain when my mind goes "okay, this is what I want to happen . . . now how do I make it come about?" Sort of throws a wrench in the works. But the good news is . . . THIS is the chapter that was holding me up. I just couldn't figure out how to go about getting Sango and Miroku together, mainly cause I know so little about their characters.

Okay, and here is my challenge / request to you all : ) Do you have things you would like to see happen? (Other than killing Kikyo guys, I'm not gonna do it, sorry : ) I'd like to, I'm not fond of that . . . ahem . . . woman, but if I kill off characters, I throw off the series. Not that I haven't done that already, but . . . *shrugs*. I just don't like killing off main characters . . . well, except for in Innocent Blood, but that was a one shot, so it doesn't count.) So, if you have ideas, things you think you might like to see happen here, go ahead and mention it. All ideas are considered . . . hell, the reason this chapter came about is cause someone mentioned that I might want to elaborate on the Sango / Miroku pairing a ways back. (You know who you are, my biggest thanks bud) So, enough of my rambling, on with the fic that you've all been waiting for . . . and NO ROTTEN TOMATOES! I hate tomatoes . . . throw mushrooms or something if you have to . . . or better yet, Inu dolls : )

  
  


*retreats back to her writing desk to drool over the pics she has of Sephiroth and InuYasha and to contemplate the rest of the story*

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 8 - Interludes

  
  


Sango glanced towards Kaede's hut, not surprised to find the steps occupied by a brooding hanyou. He had not moved an inch since turning Kagome over into Kaede's care. Sango sighed and smiled gently to herself.

"They love each other so much . . . but each is so afraid of rejection by the other . . . and worried about each other." She shook her head. "Maybe now a new path will be cleared for them."

"Their path will never be clear, Sango. But now perhaps there are a few less obstacles for them to surmount," a voice murmured behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she was amused to see Miroku settled on a tree stump nearby. He appeared to have been meditating. Of course, from where he was sitting he also would have had a good seat for the village women washing clothes in the public basin, so . . . who knew what he might have actually been up to. She sighed, turning back to look at InuYasha as she heard Miroku stand. If only he weren't such a lecherous, perverted, groping . . .but then again, she supposed he couldn't help it. That hole in his hand was steadily getting worse . . . and if he wanted his family line to continue on, he'd need to father a child soon . . . or they'd have to defeat Naraku.

She jumped as she felt a hand on her . . . shoulder? She turned slightly to find Miroku standing beside her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder, the other holding his staff at his side.

"Seeing them go through all of this . . . ." It was his turn to sigh. "Sango . . ."

"Yes Miroku?" she asked, trying vainly to keep the anxious hope out of her voice.

Miroku ran his hand abruptly through his hair. How was he supposed to start? What InuYasha and he had talked about had been stewing in his head for over a month now, and after seeing everything Kagome and InuYasha had gone through . . . well, it suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

Sango, watching him, held her breath hopefully. Would he finally act on InuYasha's advice? And what in the world would she say to him if he did?

Miroku stared into her eyes and sighed mentally. Oh yeah, he was hooked. Sango was the only woman he ever thought about any more. The fondling and groping was just habit now . . . any time he did it, it was her in his mind.

InuYasha watched the two stare at each other, their heads inching slowly closer, and resisted the urge to go push them together. "They look like a couple of rabbits before a hawk!" he mumbled. "Come on, you hentai priest . . . just kiss her already."

Miroku became slowly aware of a pair of golden amber eyes burning holes into his head. Suddenly embarrassed, he backed away from Sango, his cheeks flushed. " I . . . I have to go check on Shippo," he mumbled quickly. With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Sango to stare after him in confusion. There was a loud smacking sound from the direction of Kaede's hut. 

Sango glanced toward's the sound to find InuYasha on the ground, cradling his head in his hand and pushing himself up out of the dirt with the other. "What in the world . . ."

"That stupid . . . idiot . . . moronic . . ." InuYasha grumbled. "What a baka!" He shook his head. "And next time, don't hit yourself so hard."

  
  


*-----------*------------*-------------*-------------*

  
  


The sun was high in the noon sky of the next day when Miroku approached InuYasha.

"Still nothing?" he queried the hanyou gently. InuYasha snorted.

"Kaede says she may sleep for a few days at least. 'The sudden abrupt manifestation of her fully untrained miko abilities took a lot out of her.'" From his tone of voice, Miroku could tell he was quoting Kaede word for word - and none to happy about it either.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, InuYasha. The two of you have had a very bumpy road to travel together . . ." He stopped as InuYasha snorted.

"No kidding, priest. I'm the last person you need to tell that to." He shifted, leaning back to glare up at Miroku. "You, on the other hand, need to start listening to your own damn advice."

"I'm finding out that it is much harder to take advice then to give it."

"Feh." InuYasha resisted the urge to plant a foot in Miroku's rump with difficulty. His eyes lit up as he spied Sango heading into his forest. 'Perfect!' he thought. 'It'll give them a chance to be alone . . . and it looks like she's heading for the stream. Now, how to get Miroku . . . ah-ha!" He mentally rubbed his hands together in glee. "Miroku . . ."

"Hmmm?"

"Kaede asked me for a fresh bucket of water a bit ago, but I'd rather not go too far from the hut at the moment, so would you mind . . .?"

"I would be glad to." Miroku moved off towards the stream with a bucket in hand, unaware of the smirking hanyou lounging behind him.

  
  


*-----------*------------*-------------*-------------*

  
  


Sango dove into the stream, relishing the feel of the cooled water sliding over her skin. 'He was so close . . .!' she thought. In the month's since she'd joined up with InuYasha and the others, she'd grown closer to them. They had become like a second family to her . . . all except Miroku, who's become so much more. He was so . . . 

"Lecherous, perverted . . . understanding, sweet, gently, strong, brave . . ." she mumbled to herself as she broke the surface. She sighed, pushing her water soaked hair out of her eyes. He was like no one she had ever met . . . . then again, each member of the group was unique in some way. InuYasha was pretty obvious . . . Shippo with his ever fun loving attitude . . . Kagome with her caring and warmth . . . and then there was Miroku.

She sighed again, stepping out of the water and dressing quickly. They all had their reasons for being together. "Kohaku," she murmured, misery suddenly engulfing her. She'd been fighting it all day, and had come out here alone in the hopes that it would help. She sat on a warm stone by the stream, staring dejectedly into the running water.

"Today would have been your twelfth birthday . . . happy birthday, little brother." She wiped absently at the tears coursing down her face. Her family . . . her whole life had been taken from her by Naraku. What would she do when the quest ended, and their enemy was destroyed? She had no where to go . . . nothing else to live for . . .

Miroku set the bucket down silently where he had been standing as Sango's frame began to shake with the force of her sobs. Approaching her quietly, he gently sat down next to her and took her carefully in his arms. She was stiff and tense at first, but relaxed as his hands stayed gently at her back. She sobbed into his shoulder, her fists clenched in his robes, as he murmured calming words to her softly. Gradually, her shoulders ceased to shake and her sobs died off. He leaned back, tipping her face to look into her eyes.

"Sango . . ." he murmured. "You were thinking about your brother again, weren't you?" She nodded slightly.

"Today would have been his birthday," she sighed. Unconsciously, her fists clenched again. "Naraku took everything from me . . ."

"He didn't take your life."

"What good is my life with no family . . . no home . . . all I have left is my revenge . . ."

Miroku shook her slightly. "You still have us, Sango. InuYasha . . . Kagome, Shippo . . . me . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked into her shadowed eyes. Almost unconsciously, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own in a gently kiss.

Sango closed her eyes, a slight blush staining her cheeks as she leaned into the kiss, her hands resting gently against his chest. Miroku's hands strayed not an inch below an appropriate level, much to her surprise. He broke away after a few moments to look down at her, waiting anxiously for the slap he was sure was coming. Surprisingly, all Sango did was to lean her head into his chest with a sigh.

"Sango . . ." he murmured hesitantly, "when this is over . . . if I live to defeat Naraku . . . would you . . ." his voice trailed off. She leaned back to look up at him.

"Would I . . . what, Miroku?" she asked quietly. He sighed.

"I have no right to ask this of you now. I'm being selfish . . . and you've been hurt enough." He stood carefully. She stood with him, catching his hand as he turned to walk away.

"Miroku . . . please, tell me . . ."

"I love you," he said simply. "If we . . . if we survive to beat Naraku . . . I would be honored if you would . . . if you would remain by my side . . . as my wife."

She walked around him to his front to look in his face. He was staring at the ground. She raised his face gently till he was looking at her. "I love you too." His eyes widened in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Hesitantly, he returned the embrace, marveling at his good fortune.

Behind them, hidden by the trees, a certain meddling hanyou crossed his arms in pride. "Feh. It's about damn time."


	13. Understandings Part 1

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes - Not many this time folks : ) Writing is coming okay . . . slow, but pretty steady. I'm not sure where I'm going with it atm, but it will, as always, be one hell of a ride. 

Oh, this chapter is dedicated to all those Kikyo fans who felt I hadn't done her justice with Kagome's blow up : ) Here is my apology to you, and my thanks. To all of you who, like me, aren't overly fond of Kikyo . . . just keep an open mind. I'm treating it now as if there are two Kikyo's . . . the one that Urasue made, and the soul that is happy to rest and let Kagome and InuYasha be. So, don't worry, be happy . . . and well, you know the rest. Read, review, and tell me what you think.

  
  


OH, and so I don't forget, go read Chapter 13 people. I replaced the notice with Chapter 8 : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 9 - Understandings (Part 1)

  
  


"You have to go relax sometime, InuYasha. For god's sake, just go already! We'll come and get you if she wakes up."

InuYasha cast one last look at the hut, then glanced back at his friends, sighing in defeat. "Feh. Alright, I'm going, I'm going." Sighing, he turned his back on the now grinning couple and stalked off, grumbling to himself.

Miroku shook his head, watching InuYasha walk away, and tightened his arm around Sango. Together, they settled down on the step to talk and keep an eye on Kagome.

  
  


*------------*------------*-----------*------------*

  
  


White.

That's the only word Kagome could think of to describe where she was. There was nothing but white.

"What . . . where am I?" she wondered out loud.

"Asleep," a familiar and oh-so-despised voice answered. She turned to find herself facing, of all people, Kikyo.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered, noting the sadness in her former incarnation's eyes.

"This is the only place I can talk to you," Kikyo answered her quietly.

"Talk to me? Last I knew you wanted to kill me, not talk."

"The construct me wants to kill you . . . . that is only one part of me. The rest resides within you . . . happily I might add. My life is over and has been for a long time now . . . I have no wish to live again. I never did."

"Then why are you here?" Kagome asked suspiciously. This was not something she would ever have thought would happen.

"Your miko powers are newly awakened, and my sister cannot teach you how to use them. I, however, can teach you, since your powers are identical to my own. But I can only teach you here, in your dreams, where the boundaries between the realms of the living and the dead are weak."

"Why should I trust you?" Kikyo sighed, and sat down gracefully on the non-existent floor.

"You are a danger to yourself and your friends if you remain untrained with such potential. I came forward to offer my help, if you will let me." She shook her head slowly. "Kagome, I am dead. Once the construct me is also dead, I can return my consciousness to the peaceful slumber Urasue pulled me from." She held up a hand to forestall the questions bubbling in Kagome's mind. "Before you ask . . . yes, the feelings you hold for InuYasha are your own, not offshoots of mine. Your feelings are much stronger, and undiluted, then mine ever were. InuYasha and I were not meant to be, it is that simple. I have no regrets on that fact. In fact, I am very glad that you have been able to accomplish what I could not . . . healing his heart of the it's past wounds."

Kagome could only stare at her former incarnation in shock. This was a completely unexpected development. 'She knew about my concern over whether my feelings were mine or hers? What else does she know that I haven't told anyone?" She sank down to sit across from Kikyo, facing the miko with wary trust.

"You are both right, somewhat," Kikyo continued. "Maybe it was just my loneliness and isolation that caused me to reach out to him . . . in either case, we should have trusted each other more. But you were wrong about my wanting him to be human. It wasn't a lack of acceptance for what he is . . . it was just the only way I could see us being able to live together in peace. If not for the jewel . . ." She sighed. "All of that is in the past now anyway. As I was saying . . . I truly want to help you control your newly awakened powers . . . and the sooner that construct is put to rest, the better. For all of us."

Kagome nodded slightly. "Okay . . . how long will this take Kikyo?"

"Time has no meaning here . . . so in reality it shouldn't take very long at all. A couple of weeks at most. But we will definitely want to take it slowly . . . after all, it took me years." They shared a small, sad smile at that. "Well, since you seem to have agreed to allow me to help you, let us get started then, shall we?"

  
  


*------------*------------*-----------*------------*

  
  


InuYasha awoke with a start. Blinking his eyes in an attempt to reorient himself with his surroundings, he glanced up at the sky. It was nearing noon . . . which meant he'd only been asleep for a few hours. He rolled off his perch to the ground below, and started walking slowly towards the village. Half way there, he changed his mind and turned to go to the hot springs. With all that had gone on in the past month, he hadn't done much more than take a quick swim in the very cold water of the river, and it really hadn't done much in the way of getting him clean. A soak in the hot springs would improve that tremendously, as well as giving him some much needed time to think.

'What if she doesn't remember? Will I be able to tell her again? It took me forever to do it the first time . . .' he thought to himself. 'Why is it that things can never be easy between the two of us?' He sighed.

Arriving at the hot springs, he quickly shed his clothing and stepped into the water. Finding a spot where he could relax and not drown, he dropped his head back on the shore after gathering his hair up above the water. He hated getting his hair wet . . . but he knew he was going to have to wash it soon enough anyway. Staring up at the sky, he watched the clouds drift lazily overhead as his mind mulled over his current dilemma. So much of his heart depended on what, if anything, Kagome remembered when she woke up. He doubted he would be able to get the nerve up again to tell her everything he had said to her in the dream. With the sudden development of her powers . . . well, who knew what was going to happen in their quest now?

He sighed deeply, feeling the heated waters of the spring relaxing muscles he hadn't even realized were wound tight as springs. His life was never easy, was it? The future was so uncertain, especially where Naraku and the quest for the shards was concerned . . . and what would happen once the jewel was whole again? Would the well continue to work? Or would it force Kagome to make a painful choice between her friends and her family? Would it even give her a choice? So many uncertainties, so many possible outcomes . . . and very few would end in anything but pain. One thing he did know though . . . he loved her. Completely, deeply, insanely . . . he loved Kagome. He would go where she went if he could . . . and if he couldn't, he would wait until he could be with her again. Five hundred years was a long time . . . but if at the end he was with her, he would deal with it as best he could.

"Let's just hope the gods aren't that cruel," he grumbled.

  
  


*------------*------------*-----------*------------*

  
  


Kagome awoke slowly, her consciousness returning in stages. She was first aware of a soft breeze running over her skin, bringing with it the smells of clean earth and sky . . . so different from her time. Next came the soft murmur of Sango and Miroku talking nearby, and the busy sounds of the village in the background. Finally came the new tingling sensation in the back of her mind . . . her miko powers buzzing softly with the presence of power. She opened her eyes slowly, taking in the familiar walls of Kaede's hut.

She stretched her senses as Kikyo had taught her, trying to locate InuYasha and Shippo by the feel of their youki. Shippo was practically on top of her, sleeping curled nearby. InuYasha, on the other hand . . . he felt a good distance away. However, there was another, stronger youki nearby . . . one that felt oddly familiar and yet strange at the same time . . .

"Sesshoumaru!" she whispered, the feel of his youki clicking in her mind. "What's he doing here . . .oh gods, I have to find InuYasha . . ." She struggled to her feet and staggered to the door.

Sango and Miroku leaped up in surprise at her sudden appearance, Miroku moving swiftly to catch her as she stumbled and nearly fell.

"InuYasha . . . his brother . . . where is he?" she gasped, trying to regain control of her limbs.

"Kagome, slow down. What about Sesshoumaru?"

"He's nearby . . . I can sense him . . . where's InuYasha!?"

"He disappeared into the woods a few hours ago . . ." Sango said, staring at her.

"We have to find him, quickly," Kagome said. Shrugging off Miroku's support, she took off towards where she thought she could feel him. Miroku and Sango scrambled to gather up their weapons and followed her as best they could.

To be Continued

  
  


AN- MUAHAHA! Another cliffy! Yes, I know I'm evil, and yes, I know some of you have rotting fruit or vegetables that you would just love to throw at me . . . but I have Seph and his Masamune to protect me, so don't try it : ) As much as I would love to see his sword in action . . . or maybe it's just the body weilding the sword . . . ahem. Anyway . . . . .

Oh, for those of you who are Final Fantasy 7 fans . . . or just a fan of my beloved Sephiroth . . . I have a FF7 fic that I am currently working on, and will be posting in a couple of months. You might wanna check it out : ) Of course, I'm going to finish this one first . . . too many fics on the line would really tangle my poor little head up.


	14. Understanding Part 2

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes - WRITER'S BLOCK IS GONE! Yes, there is much rejoicing in the land at this point. I found out what my problem was . . . I had too many ideas running around in my head all trying to get out at once. So, I took a week to just write whatever came into my head, sort of cleared out the snarls, and off we go again : ) Which reminds me . . . if you are a fan of Final Fantasy 7 . . . and especially of Sephiroth, I now have a fic over in that section called "Behind the Mask". It's a fic about Seph, Zack and Cloud before the Nibelhiem incident. If you are into that kind of thing, go read it . . . I think you'll find it worthwhile. And no, it is not Yaoi, you pervs, get that thought out of your head : ) 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 9 - Understandings (Part 2)

InuYasha sat up abruptly as he caught wind of a familiar scent.

"Sesshoumaru," he growled. Rising quickly, he grabbed his hakama and dragged them on over his still wet skin. Grabbing Tetsusiaga, he stood waiting, knowing his brother was near, but surprised that he wasn't trying to conceal himself.

It wasn't long before a familiar aristocratic figure stepped into the clearing, amber eyes narrowed in thought.

"Well, well, little brother. Not as completely unaware as I thought you were." His smooth, cultured voice carried no emotion at all. As usual.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru? I know this isn't a social visit." Unconsciously, his hands tightened their grip on his sword.

"Just to talk this time, little brother." He glanced around calmly. "I'm surprised to find you alone, InuYasha. Where is that intriguing young woman who is always with you?"

"Recovering," InuYasha growled. What game was his brother playing now? He watched warily as his brother settled on a rock near the hot springs, and dipped a graceful hand into the water's surface, calmly gazing at the ripples he created.

"Funny . . ." he murmured, "how a body of water can be so still, serene . . . happy with it's current state of affairs . . . and one tiny action can set it all into motion." InuYasha's eyes narrowed in speculation. He suspected his brother wasn't just talking about water.

Identical amber eyes met and locked in unwavering regard. "We may not get a long, InuYasha, but we have a common enemy now. So, for my sake as well as your own, I am putting aside our differences until Naraku is destroyed."

InuYasha nearly stumbled in shock. What the hell was going on here? Sesshoumaru . . . was calling a truce?! His attention was distracted as a crackling in the underbrush behind his brother drew his eyes to the sound. His eyes widened as a young human girl charged from the underbrush . . . straight to his brother. 'Okay . . . this just went from weird to out right bizarre!' he thought. The little girl was perched happily on the rock near Sesshoumaru, chatting energetically as she played with his tail . . . and was his brother . . . smiling?! It was a very small one, but the fact that his stoic, emotionless, human-hating brother was smiling at and tolerating a small girl to play with his tail was just too much. 'I have to be sleeping,' he decided. 'This is just too abnormal for me to be awake.'

Distracted by the very odd sight before him, InuYasha nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his arm. He spun to see who was so close to him.

"Kagome!" he breathed. Momentarily forgetting his visitor and his state of undress, he wrapped her in a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair and basking in her scent.

Kagome, for the most part, tried very hard to keep her wits about her as she found herself hugged against InuYasha's warm, wet, and very BARE chest. She wrapped her arms around him in a brief hug, then turned her addled wits to their unexpected witness, squirming slightly till InuYasha released her. She was just as surprised as InuYasha had been, but found her attention centered on a pair of amber eyes that were regarding them with what Kagome could only label as . . . amusement.

"I see you got your arm back," she said finally.

He raised the limb in question, clenching and unclenching his fist. "I had to resort to a healer, of sorts, but yes, I have both arms once again. And I see you have finally come into your full potential as a miko." Suddenly, the girl next to him jumped off the rock and rushed over to stand in front of Kagome.

"I'm Rin," she said sweetly, tugging on Kagome's pants.

Kagome dropped lightly to her knees to smile gently at the girl. "Hello Rin. I'm Kagome."

"Rin is happy to meet you, Kagome. Are you a friend of Sesshoumaru?"

"Umm . . . yes, I guess you could say that," Kagome answered. What was this delightful child doing with a human hating demon like Sesshoumaru?

Several minutes and much chatter later, Kagome had her answer . . . and then some. 'So, Sesshoumaru brought her back to life and has been protecting her since . . . Naraku kidnaped her and he rescued her . . . this just gets more and more complicated. Now, why is he here?'

Sango and Miroku had come and gone while she chatted with Rin. InuYasha and the couple had engaged in a brief discussion before they went back to the village, casting wary glances at the youkai lord the entire time.

"Rin, where is Jakken?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly, breaking up Kagome's thoughts. Kagome grimace in distaste. She absolutely loathed that little toad. She watched Rin skip merrily back to the aristocratic youkai, scrambling up to perch happily on his knee.

"Rin lost Jakken in the woods. Jakken is not very good at hide-and-seek." Sesshoumaru sighed and glared off in the direction he had come from. Kagome took the opportunity to stand. InuYasha still stood cautiously nearby, Tetsusiaga strapped tightly to his waist, watching his brother through narrowed, thoughtful eyes.

They both jumped as Sesshoumaru stood abruptly, setting Rin gently on the ground first. "I will return at a later date. There are . . . problems . . . I must first attend to. Come Rin." Rin trotted happily after him, waving goodbye until they were swallowed up by the woodland shadows.

Kagome sagged suddenly, her energy drained by the effect of maintaining a strong facade towards the volatile youkai lord who had just left. Before her knees ever neared ground, InuYasha was beside her, wrapping one slim, muscled arm around her waist to help support her.

"You shouldn't be up yet. You're still not fully recovered," he growled softly in her ear.

"I was worried about you," she replied weakly. "You were off somewhere and I sensed Sesshoumaru nearby. I wanted to be sure you were alright." She glance towards where the youkai had been. "What was that all about?"

"Surprisingly enough, he wanted to call a truce between us until Naraku is dead." Kagome nearly keeled over in surprise.

"He what?!" InuYasha just smiled and nodded his head as he set Kagome down on a tree stump near the spring. Bending down swiftly, he retrieved his inner and outer yukata, and quickly finished getting dressed. 

"That was pretty much my reaction."

Kagome watched the play of muscles across his back as he shrugged into his yukata, and found herself wanting to run her hands over them. 'I wonder if they would feel the same as they did in that dream I had . . .'she found herself musing. She was still unsure as to how that whole dream had come about . . . she normally didn't EVER dream about such things. 'And if felt so real . . . gah! What am I thinking!? It can't have been real . . . can it?'

Coming out of her thoughts, she found herself under the gaze of warm golden eyes, and her cheeks heated abruptly. 'What would HE think if he knew about that dream?'

InuYasha watched as she ducked her head, her cheeks bright flags of color. 'Is she thinking about the dream?' he found himself wondering. 'Does she remember?' He hoped with all his heart that she did. Bending down, he swung her onto his back and took off towards the village at a run. These new developments needed to be discussed with the others . . . and Kagome still needed rest. 'Everything else . . . will just have to wait.'

  
  


To be Continued

  
  


AN- TADA! Yep, there's another chapter for you all : ) Sorry there was no action . . . I just couldn't do the Sesshoumaru bad guy thing . . . eventually he has to wise up and realize he's not gonna get that damn sword. So, anyway, there's another chapter : ) Read, review, tell me what you think, and I'll be back to update again soon.

  
  



	15. Dreams Become Reality Part 1

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here at the computer dreaming, I would be back in the bedroom . . . ahem, never mind that last thought. I don't own InuYasha, okay?

  
  


Author's Notes - Yowza, long chapter this time. But boy was it a lot of fun to write. I couldn't resist the nickname comment . . . I just hear that name, and imagine what Sess reaction to it would be . . . and burst into a huge giggle fit. Aw, come on . . .you're telling me you can't imagine him going absolutely berserk over being called "Fluffy"? I certainly can : ) Anyway, enjoy the chapter : ) And don't forget to review : )

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 10 - Dreams Become Reality (Part 1)

  
  


Night blanketed the village in comforting shadows, blurring the harsh edges of reality in shades of black and grey. Inside Kaede's hut, the companions sat or sprawled around the fire pit, discussing the past couple of days. Miroku leaned against the back wall, his arm with his cursed hand wrapped lightly around Sango's waist. Sango sat with her head resting on his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his unoccupied one in her lap. Kaede had long since retired for the night, leaving her usual spot to Kagome, who lay on her stomach watching the fire as they talked. InuYasha remained in his corner to the left of the door, one knee drawn up to his chest upon which his arms rested, his other leg thrown out in front of him. Tetsusiaga rested by his side, propped up against the same wall his head rested against. Shippo lay curled up into a ball in the hollow of Kagome's back, sleeping peacefully for the first time in over a month.

"You mean he's actually protecting a human child?" Sango asked quietly. She'd heard about and seen enough of InuYasha's older, more volatile brother to know that this was completely out of character for the arrogant youkai. Kagome nodded slightly from her spot.

"Yep. Apparently, after that fight with InuYasha that he barely escaped from, she tried to nurse him back to health. Kouga's wolves killed her not long afterwards, and he somehow brought her back to life. He's been her 'protector' ever since."

"And now because of her, he wants to help us kill Naraku . . ." Miroku murmured thoughtfully. "Amazing."

"Amazing isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it," InuYasha spoke up. "More like insane and completely unexpected." He shook his head, amber eyes glowing in the firelight. "And he actually smiled too. That nearly scared me."

"No kidding," Kagome said. "That was just creepy." She smiled sleepily. "But Rin mentioned something while I was talking to her that I just have to let you guys know . . . she has a nickname for him. She calls him Fluffy."

Three sets of eyes widened immeasurably at this little tidbit of information. InuYasha was the first to break the stunned silence.

"FLUFFY!" he exclaimed, and promptly burst into laughter. The others joined him. Kagome smiled as she listened to them. It was music to her to hear InuYasha laugh. He didn't do it nearly often enough. She frowned at that. 'Why is it that no one can ever see beyond the surface of a person to see the heart underneath? Is it humanities curse to be quick to judge and slow to change? It makes us no better then the things we despise. He's been put through so much . . . all because people can't look beyond the fact that he is half-demon . . .' She sighed quietly, and tried to settle down to sleep.

InuYasha sat chuckling quietly in his corner long after the others had settled for the night. "Fluffy!" he murmured, and snorted. He glanced over the sleeping forms of his friends, coming to rest on the sleeping form of Kagome, and sighed. Rising carefully to his feet, he walked silently over to where she lay, and draped her blanket gently over her still form. Tucking a stray piece of hair gently behind her ear, he stared down at her peaceful face, his eyes glowing in the dim light of the banked fire.

"I wish I had the courage to tell you again, Kagome," he whispered softly. "But if it was just a dream to you . . . perhaps you didn't really mean any of it . . . and that scare me more than any youkai. I'm such a coward when it comes to you." He shook his head abruptly and stood again. "I love you Kagome. Always and Forever." He headed outside for some air, his heart aching painfully in his chest.

Kagome opened her eyes slowly, tears glimmering unshed as she stared into the embers of the dying fire. 'It wasn't just a dream . . .' she thought wonderingly. 'It couldn't have been . . . not for him to talk of what happened there and repeat those same words! He loves me . . . not Kikyo, but me . . .' She blushed, remembering vividly everything that had happened in that dream in a whole new light. Rising carefully so as not to wake Shippo, she tip toed over to the door, and slipped out into the night.

She spied InuYasha right away, sitting on a tree stump not too far away, his back to her. He seemed lost in thought, so much so that his ears didn't even twitch as she walked to him. 'How do I start this?' she wondered, studying him silently. Her eyes fell on the rosary, and she winced. 'I think that would be a good start.'

"InuYasha . . ." she called softly. His ears twitched towards her.

"What are you doing up?" he asked gruffly, not turning around.

"Probably the same thing you are . . . thinking." She stood behind him now, studying him closely. He seemed . . . worn, somehow . . . like a great weight rested on his shoulders. She sighed. "InuYasha . . . you trust me, right?" He nodded slightly. "Close your eyes . . . please."

Wondering what she was up to, he did as she requested, ears twitching as he heard her come to stand in front of him. What was she up to?

Stretching her hands out, her palms facing him, she summoned her powers. Her hands began to glow softly, an iridescent shimmer more sensed then seen. Carefully, she focused on the rosary, questing out with her power towards the spell, learning it through it's feel in her mind. This was something she had specifically asked the dream Kikyo about, and now she was glad she had. She wanted to show him how much she trusted him . . . how much she loved him. Silently, she summoned the rosary, releasing the spell on his soul. She was relieved when the rosary flashed, disappearing from his neck to materialize whole in her hands.

InuYasha felt the difference immediately, and opened his eyes to see Kagome standing before him, the rosary dangling loosely from her hands. "Kagome . . ." he whispered, raising a questioning hand to his neck and finding the familiar wooden beads gone. "Nani?" She stood there silently for a moment, running the beads softly through her fingers, before she spoke.

"I couldn't think of any other way to show you . . . how much I trust you," she whispered. "You've protected me all this time . . . but I was afraid to take this off you. I was never sure . . . but now I am. It's not right . . . to leash the one you love."

InuYasha's eyes widened. 'Did she just say . . . what I think she said?' He stared at her, his breath frozen in his chest and his heart beating painfully. She looked up at him, her blue eyes uncertain. "I meant . . . everything I said in the dream, InuYasha. Please . . . please tell me you did as well." Before she could blink, she found herself caught in his arms, pressed to his body possessively.

"Gods, Kagome . . . I meant every damn word," he growled, his hands tightening at her waist. "I love you so much . . . gods, it hurt to think you didn't remember."

"I didn't . . . not at first. But . . . I was awake before you left the hut. I thought it was just an impossible dream . . ." She shook her head slightly, her arms wrapping around him gently. "What you said . . . so exactly echoed what had happened . . . I knew then that it must have been you there with me . . . that it wasn't just a dream, but something so much more . . ." She sighed, snuggling closer to his warmth.

He breathed in her soft fragrance, holding her lightly against him. 'Finally . . . finally . . .' his mind chanted over and over again. Stirring in his body made him pull away slowly, regretfully.

"Kagome . . ." he whispered uncertainly. "I have to head into the forest for a while. I'll be back in a bit . . . you should go get some more rest."

"InuYasha . . . what's wrong?" she asked, concerned. She could feel him tensing, his muscles tightening suddenly.

"I . . ." He swallowed, fighting the instincts that were telling him to claim her, to claim his mate now, as was his right. He snarled internally, fighting them off with sheer force of will. Doing THAT in a dream was once thing . . . but in reality, it would bind them together for life, and he wasn't sure if she was ready to take that step . . . and he wasn't going to force her just because his youkai blood was screaming at him to do so.

"InuYasha . . . please, tell me what's wrong. Trust me," she pleaded, staring up at him. He leaned forward unconsciously, brushing his lips against hers hesitantly.

"My . . . my youkai blood is fighting to claim you . . . as it did in the dream," he breathed. "I . . . I don't want to hurt you . . . if we did . . . that . . . we'd be bound as life-mates . . . forever . . . I don't want to force you into that yet . . ." He growled as another urge surged to the surface and he wrestled it back. Kagome sighed and pulled his head to hers, catching him off-guard as she claimed his lips in a gentle kiss.

"I am already your mate in our minds . . ." she whispered against his lips. "Why can we not be bound together in reality too?" She tightened her grip on his yukata as he moved. "Take me somewhere we can be alone . . . my mate."

"Kagome . . . I . . . once it's done, it can't be undone . . ." he murmured hoarsely, his body screaming at him to take her as his own. "And pups . . ." A finger to his lips silenced him.

"I've been on birth control for over a year now, love. There will be no pups until we want them. I WANT to be your mate . . . I love you with all my heart and soul, InuYasha. I don't ever want to be separated from you," she said gently, cradling his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her, to see the truth in her eyes.

"But . . . Kagome . . . we don't know what will happen when Naraku is destroyed and the jewel is whole again . . ." he murmured desperately. "What if . . ."

"Hush . . ." she whispered. "We will deal with that when the time comes, InuYasha. I want . . . whatever I can have with you . . . that's all I've ever wanted."

"Kagome . . ." he groaned, "Gods . . . you already have all of me . . . my heart and my soul are completely yours . . ."

"As mine are yours," she whispered back. "Make me your mate, InuYasha. Let me show you that you will never be alone again."

He groaned, pulling her close as he buried his face in her hair. No matter what happened . . . how the fight with Naraku ended . . . or afterwards . . . she still wanted to be his. He marveled at it, even as he continued to fight a losing battle with his instincts. What had he done to deserve her compassion . . . her friendship and her love?

His control snapped as he felt her tongue glide gently over the pulse at his neck. Scooping her up to cradle her against his chest, he took off towards an abandoned hut he had run across weeks ago that was miles away from any villages, stopping only to grab some blankets off a windowsill they passed by. It was time to finally claim what was his . . . forever.

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - Yep, that's right . . . I'm not done yet : ) For a few hours, I contemplated ending the story here . . . but my mind said no way : ) That, and a few dozen fans who would have been howling for my blood, I'm sure *grins wryly* Well, after writing this chapter, it took me two days to come to a decision on the next part . . . and I finally decided I was not gonna add another lemon. Not right now, at any rate. Maybe sometime later on down the road if I get in the mood to do so . . . but not now. Sorry all you loving hentai's, I just couldnt' do it at the moment. It didn't feel "right" if you know what I mean. So, no lemon this time friends.

  
  


Now, I'm posting 2 today . . . but the next chapter will be replies to my reviewers, who I feel I can't just say, wow, a review, thank you . . . I just have to reply. After all, you've all been so nice as to read and write good things about my story . . .


	16. Review Replies Thank You's

Replies to my reviewers - This could take a while : )

First of all - one to all of you. 193 reviews. Wow am I honored. Never thought I'd see even half that many. Wow.

Amehana sono hanyou - Thank you so much : )

Radical Edward - What can I say . . . I get such a kick out of your reviews, my friend. They always have me grinning like a loon when I read them. I'm glad you like my story so much. Tell you what . . . you tell me what you wanna read in a lemon, and I'll see if I can come up with one for you : )

NamelessMoonshine - Hey there! I'm glad you're getting over your writers block . . . I was never so happy as when mine went away. And yes, it was about time. I totally agreed with Inu too . . . but I actually wouldn't have restrained myself from kicking Miroku in the butt for taking so long : )

simulated-dragon - Thank you for the compliments : ) Don't worry, plenty more chapters to come.

YamiNeko - Glad your laundry survived. I'd begun to wonder *grin* I'm not sure how long this story is going to be . . . my mind is thinking it, my hand is writing it . . . I'm just along for the ride. I have a few more things I'm going to put in here, so probably gonna be at least 5 more chapters. So trust me, plenty more is coming : ) And Chibi's would be great : )

eddie - Hope you like that last chappie hun : ) 

Sailor Midnight - Glad you like it : )

Hanyou-Girl25 - Actually, it surprised me too when I first wrote it . . . I just found I didn't have the heart to make Sess be a bad guy. He's just too good looking . . . even if I did mistake him for a girl at first (sorry all, but it's true . . . when you first see him in the Manga, he looks like a girl)

ambereyes - *bows to applause* thank you, thank you. Plenty more coming hun : ) Keep reading, and thanks for all the reviews.

Saro - yeah, it was sort of a build-up and drop down chapter, wasn't it? I went in thinking they were gonna fight, and came out going . . . wow, they didn't. Glad you still liked it though. As for Kagome's powers . . . she will not become omnipotent. InuYasha will still be the main fighter and their biggest asset . . . it will still take YEARS of training for Kagome to develop her full potential . . . and she's a miko, not a god : ) So, I don't' think you'll be disappointed.

Kats02980416 - Wow is that a lot of numbers *grin*. Yep, Kagome remembers the dream, but she thought it was just that . . . a dream. Well, now she knows better. Hope you continue to like the story : )

Blue Dreamer - Hehe, glad you are enjoying the story so far. Keep reading and enjoying.

Phoneix of the Burning Light - *grin* glad you like. And I'm sure you are not the only one . . . that really is one *ahem* nice body.

WhitneyLin - I am, trust me : )

Silvermoon maru - So, was the last chapter up to your expectations? Hope you continue to enjoy the story *grin* Happy reading.

Moonfairy2000 - I'm so glad : ) I hope you continue to do so.

Merith - Nothing touches me more than knowing that YOU are reading and enjoying MY little story. You have so many, and they were all so GOOD! *feints* Wow . . . well, thank you for so many wonderful reviews, and I do truly hope you continue to enjoy my story as much as I enjoy yours : ) And I totally agree . . . I wish Inu would stop being so stubborn and settle down to learning how to use Tetsusiaga to it's full potential. Or as Kagome would say, "you silly, stubborn, demented hanyou . . . SIT!"

Mikky - Hope that last chapter didn't disappoint. Enjoy : )

Tsukinoko - Nope. If you reread it, she got dressed pretty quickly before Miroku showed up . . . or maybe he was there, and just didn't say anything until that point . . . I'm not sure.

dark akira - Hello there : ) I'd be more then glad to help you . . . just let me know. I love talking to my fans . . . they are, after all, what keeps me writing and posting. If I didn't get good review from the fans, I would just write it and leave it in my notebook : ) So hey, why not appreciate your fans and talk to em once in a while : ) I'm glad I made your list of the top 3 : ) Thank you.

Corran Nackatory - Of course I have a heart dear . . . it just happens to be a maniacal little thing : )

CorruptedAngel- Cool heh? Thank you : )

MJ - *blows you a kiss* Yes I am evil. Thank you for noticing : )

Botan - Hehe, you are definitely in for a long haul then . . . I'm not sure when I'm gonna stop writing at this point : )

Raura - last chapter answered your question hun : ) Keep reading and enjoying.

sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu - Wow was that interesting to type. I"m glad you like it, and hope you will continue to enjoy.

vegito044 - thank you : )

Neko-yasha - Keep enjoying : )

A BIG FAN - *grin* Hope you are still enjoying.

Monnoke - yes . . . they are just a bit OOC, but I figured, aww, what the hell. I tried to do it in as sensible a fashion as possible though, so I hope you aren't disappointed.

Chellek - There you go, block is gone . . . now throw out that darn tomato or I'll have Seph make a salad out of it : )

BurnsyBabe - glad you like it so much : )

Kats - Yeah, my english tends to suck sometimes when I'm writing too fast and don't catch myself. I'm very very VERY touched that you think so highly of this fic . . . especially with you being an english minor. I'm very glad that you think the fic worth reading, and thank you so much.

Keiimaru - Thank you so much. I'm honored : ) And very glad you thought Blood of the Innocent good too.

Julisa - Thank you very much. I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I promise, I'm putting up chapters as fast as I can without overloading my brain. Good luck on your own stories.

Goku's Daughter - Thanks : )

SaiyajinEmpress - It's mainly you that got me thinking of putting Sess in here. Hope you like what I did.

silverstarlight - Read to your heart's content.

Chchiri4488 - updating as fast as I can. Continue to enjoy.

Cepherin - Thank you *bows* Glad you like it.

Raura - one of these days I'll get to your fic, I swear. I get caught up in stuff so much . . .

ArtemisMoon - Hope you come back soon. Haven't seen you since I got my writer's block . . . I hope I didn't lose you : )

  
  


Okay, I think that's enough for now . . . anyone that I didn't mention by name . . . I didn't mean to exclude you, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. And now, to answer some questions people seem to have been asking about me . . . here goes.

1 - Oh yeah, I am definitely female. And Bishounen guys are my MAJOR HOBBY! (IE, I totally drool over Sephiroth and InuYasha . . . and Sesshoumaru isn't too bad either : )

2 - I'm 25 with 2 kids, both of whom I have already gotten addicted to anime : ) Evil me : )

3 - I live in Dover, Delaware, heaven's help us all.

4 - HOBBIES - I am an avid fan of anime, I play Magic : The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh, and I write when the mood takes me. I love Linkin Park, KoRn, Enya, and any other number of odd and assorted musical groups. So yes, I'm a bit of an odd ball. I also play dungeons and dragons, and Live Action Vampire the Masquerade when I get the chance. Yeah, I'm gonna have some well rounded kids ; ) And I'm am a huge reader . . . as in, I'll go through an 800 page book in 2 days if given half the chance. I tend to scare people : )

Well, there. Now you know some more about me. Hope it doesn't scare you off : ) Keep on reading and reviewing. You all are the reason I'm still posting and working so hard at it . . . I hate to disappoint any of you.


	17. Dreams Become Reality Part 3

  
  


Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha . . . although I wish for it every night.

  
  


Author's Notes - Whoa . . . that lemon took a lot out of me. Well, at any rate, this one is a short post, just to tie up the loose ends that were left. And now, for the really good news . . . I finally have a website set up : ) I'm so happy *claps for joy*. So, if you want a good look at all my writing, including some original work that will never be posted anywhere else, and a more orderly posting of this fic, with lemons, go to my information page and hit the addy. And now, on with the story.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 10 - In Dreams (part 3)

  
  


InuYasha awoke late the next morning, sunlight splashing across his face, his nose filled with Kagome's scent. 'My mate,' he thought possessively, his arm tightening slightly around her waist as she lay next to him. For once, his soul was at peace, and he was exhilarated at the turn his life had taken. Dark clouds hovered on the horizon, however . . . they still had to complete the quest and defeat Naraku. He frowned slightly, nuzzling the back of Kagome's neck softly, before planting a kiss on her shoulder. She moaned lightly and shifted, pulling the blanket closer. He grinned and rolled to his feet, pulling on his clothing thoughtfully. They would need to head back to the village soon . . . the others were sure to be awake and wondering where they were.

He sat down beside Kagome, studying her as she slept. How would this change things? She was his mate now . . . fully, completely, totally his. He sighed in contentment. She was so peaceful when she slept . . . he hated to wake her, but they needed to get going.

"Kagome," he murmured gently, making sure he stayed out of slapping range as he shook her shoulder lightly. The girl was a horror when it came to waking up. He was startled when she only rolled over and smiled at him, her eyes shining.

"Morning InuYasha," she whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, that's new . . . for once you didn't wake up violent," he said. She grinned at him.

"That would be due to my expecting you to be there this time . . . rather then you startling me,' she said to him. Reaching out, she caressed his cheek gently before moving up to gently rub his ear. He rumbled deep in his chest, causing her grin to blossom in that smile he loved so much. "I love it when you do that," she murmured.

"Yeah . . . well, you keep that up and we won't be going anywhere for a while yet," he growled softly in reply. Kagome rubbed his ear one last time, then grabbed the clothes he handed her and got dressed. She blushed slightly when she turned to find his amber eyes watching her appreciatively. He walked over to her and pulled her against him in a gently hug, holding her close. "I love you . . . my mate," he murmured. She wrapped her arms around his waist, returning the embrace.

"I love you too, InuYasha," she whispered. "My mate." She could scarcely believe it. Not long ago she had been resigned to losing him, sure in the belief that he only considered her a friend and that his heart belonged to Kikyo. Now, here she was, her soul bound to his by an act older than time itself . . . she had never thought she would be so happy as she was here in his arms.

InuYasha, in turn, was thinking much along the same lines. He had no right to this kind of happiness . . . he'd had the belief that he was a worthless, disgusting creature pounded into him too many times for that. But this girl . . . no, this woman . . . had changed all of that when she appeared through the well and released him. Slowly, by accepting his as himself, she'd forced him to accept who and what he was as well. . . and to accept that he wasn't the forsaken thing he'd always believed himself to be. He owed her so much . . . and loved her so much more. Sighing, he released her and stepped back. As much as he would love to stay with her in his arms forever, they still had much to accomplish before they could live their lives anywhere in peace.

"We should get back," he murmured. Kagome nodded, and quickly stashed the blankets they'd used back in a corner. Turning back to him, she climbed up onto his back, sighing as she rested her chin gently on his shoulder. He gripped her behind her knees carefully, and took off. At the edge of the forest, he halted suddenly. "We've never been jumping before just for the hell of it, have we?" he asked her. She shook her head curious. Whenever InuYasha had carried her, he'd mostly stuck to the ground, and they had been in a hurry for some reason. She'd never had the time or the presence of mind to enjoy it. He grinned over his shoulder at her mischievously. "It's time we did," he stated cheerfully. With that, he leaped straight into the trees, and took off at high speed, Kagome clinging to his back, squealing.

Leaping high, he broke through the forest canopy, soaring over the treetops with an ease that belied the effort. Kagome relaxed, knowing he'd never hurt her intentionally, and looked around in wonder.

"InuYasha . . . this is amazing!" she breathed.

"I thought you would like it," he said, landing on a branch only to spring back into the air. Kagome laughed as the wind streamed through her hair, sending it to mingle and intertwine with InuYasha's silvery mane. The feeling of freedom was exhilarating, to say the least, and the fact that she was sharing this experience with the only man she ever loved made it all the more precious to her.

Too soon they arrived back at the village, InuYasha landing lightly on his feet near the outer edge to let Kagome off. They shared a smile, and side by side, walked back to Kaede's hut. Villager's called out greetings to them both as they walked, which Kagome answered with a wave and a smile. InuYasha just nodded at them, as usual.

Kagome caught a flying furball to the chest as they neared the hut.

"Kagome! We were worried!" Shippo cried, hugging her tightly. InuYasha just looked on in annoyance.

"Geesh, kit, it's not as if I wasn't with her . . ." he grumbled as Miroku and Sango approached them.

"So, where were you two all night?"Miroku asked, only to receive an elbow in the ribs. One look at Kagome's suddenly flushed face and InuYasha's golden eyes glaring at him told him everything he needed to know, and he suddenly fell quiet.

Sango just as easily put the pieces together and smiled. 'It's about time,' she thought. 'Those two belong together.' Kagome gasped suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Oh no! My Mom! My family! InuYasha . . . they must be so worried . . ."

"Calm down, Kagome. I've visited your time and kept them informed . . . but you are right. We should go visit them and let your Mom see that you're okay." Kagome flew into the hut, and came right back out seconds later. InuYasha was eyeing Miroku disgustedly, to which the monk was only grinning in reply. Before Kagome's feet could even hit ground, InuYasha had swung her up on his back and taken off, heading for the well.

"InuYasha . . . what's wrong? You looked ready to kill Miroku back there," she said, curious. She caught brief grumbles.

"Miroku . . . damn lecherous . . . perverted . . . nosy son of a . . ." he grumbled. Kagome grinned. That explained a lot. InuYasha barely paused before entering the well, taking his mate back to her own time.

  
  
  
  


To Be Continued


	18. My Mate Part 1

Disclaimer - Aww, man . . . do I have to say it again? *sighs as InuYasha nods his head at her firmly* Oh, for the love of . . . Feh. Geesh, okay, you guys know the drill . . . I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. *turns to InuYasha* You realize, I'm gonna make you pay for that?

Inu - I think I've already paid ten times over with the stuff you've put me through in this story of yours, wench!

DracOnyx - Hmm . . . just for that, I think I'll put you through some more. *ducks a handful of claws* Oy, now you really are in for it, Inu.

  
  


Author's Notes - Well, here's the first piece . . . this chapter looks like it's going to be exceptionally long, so it might be in 3 or 4 installments, instead of my usual 2 . . . I beg you to bear with me.

Some of you had questions that you asked me in reviews . . . I hope this chapter answers some of them, cause I worked the answers into the story. *claps her hands together* Good little me : )

OH! Before I forget . . . those of you who were reading Broken Souls will notice that I took it down. I'm currently doing a MAJOR revamp of it . . . you were right . . . Seph and Inu were WAY out of character. I went back and read it after your reviews, and just about knocked myself over with my own stupidity. So, I'm working on correcting that situation so it's not so bad.

And now, on with Starlight and Shadows *grin*

  
  


Chapter 11 - My Mate (Part 1)

  
  


Kagome's mother enveloped her daughter in a hug the moment she walked through the door, InuYasha following a few steps behind.

"Hi Mom . . . ." a rather teary Kagome whispered against her mother's shoulder.

"Welcome home, Kagome," her mother replied, stepping back to look at her daughter. Anxious eyes examined every inch of her, and concern overshadowed them. "Kagome, you look terribly tired. Why don't you go take a bath and relax for a bit?" Kagome nodded, turning questioning eyes to InuYasha, who nodded . . . just before he was wrapped up in a hug of his own. The young miko stared in awe, shock making her speechless. InuYasha just stood there, a gentle smile on his lips as he shrugged slightly at her.

Kagome shot him a look that clearly told him she would want an explanation later, and disappeared up the stairs.

InuYasha watched her go, making sure she was out of sight before returning his attention to her mother. She stood silently watching him, a knowing and gentle smile on her face.

"Mrs. Higurashi . . ." he began hesitantly.

"Do I have to keep reminding you to call me Mom?" she asked, her hands on her hips. InuYasha grinned, flicking his ears at her in amusement.

"Feh . . .okay already . . . Mom," he corrected himself, growing serious again, "I . . . I would like your permission to marry Kagome." His ears flattened in an attempt to protect his over sensitive hearing at her delighted cry.

"Oh, InuYasha! It's about time you two sorted things out! Of course you have my permission!" She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes shining with happiness. InuYasha heaved an inner sigh of relief. He had almost been sure she would say yes, but he hadn't been completely assured of that fact. Old habits died hard sometimes, after all . . . and he was too used to being a disgusting outcast for that last sliver of doubt to ever go away. He found himself literally being dragged into the family room and bombarded with questions. He shook his head and grinned to himself. Was this what all mother's were like when it came to their children?

Upstairs, Kagome crept back to the bathroom from the stairway, where she had silently been standing. Curiosity had overwhelmed her the minute she stepped out of InuYasha's line of sight, and she had hoped to have it satisfied by listening in on the conversation below. She'd been somewhat caught off guard by her mother's insistence that InuYasha call her 'Mom', but she figured something must have happened between the two of them while she had been sealed . . . InuYasha had mentioned that he'd been keeping her family updated on her condition, after all. She would have to attempt to get that whole story out of her stubborn mate later. She was less surprised by InuYasha's request of her mom, as they had discussed it slightly before leaving the well house. InuYasha had been against it, saying that she was already his mate, and whether or not her mother gave him permission couldn't change that . . . but apparently he had changed his mind at some point . . . probably when coming face to face with her mom.

She grinned as she sank into the warm tub of water, sighing as warmth suffused her sore muscles. She'd hidden it from InuYasha . . . the last thing she wanted was for him to think he had hurt her somehow by claiming her as his mate . . . he was skittish enough sometimes as it was. She suspected that InuYasha intended to surprise her by honoring her traditions of marriage . . . even though by demon standards they were mated for life . . . until death.

Death. That thought wiped the grin from her face with stunning speed. There were still shards to collect . . . which meant more dangerous battles for her mate and their group. She shuddered at the thought. The most dangerous battle of all was still to come . . . one on which everything rested - Miroku's life, Sango's peace of mind, Kikyo's final rest . . . and her and InuYasha's future together. Anything could happen . . . InuYasha could very well lose his life. Added on top of that was the uncertainty of what would happen once the Shikon No Tama was whole again. Would it return her to her world arbitrarily? Or would it seal the well, trapping her forever in Feudal Japan? Not that she wouldn't mind staying . . . but there were things from her time that she just couldn't live without . . . and she didn't even want to THINK of what InuYasha would do without his beloved Ramen. She sighed, and sank lower in the water. There were just too many uncertainties right now . . . She pushed them out of her mind, and concentrated on washing up. There was one thing that she could take care of now . . . but she needed to discuss it with her mother, and she wasn't entirely sure her mother would approve.

  
  


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Kagome was stunned to walk into her living room and find InuYasha on the couch . . . snoring softly. She smiled gently, backing out of the room so she didn't wake him, She suspected that he hadn't slept much since Kikyo had sealed her . . . besides, this gave her the perfect opportunity to talk with her mother alone.

Walking into the kitchen, she found her mother at the dining table, drinking a cup of coffee with a thoughtful expression on her face. Kagome sat down opposite her, folding her hands lightly in front of her on the table.

"Mom . . ." she murmured, and paused. 'How do I say this? Oh, hell, I might as well just dive right in. It's not like it's gonna get any easier, no matter how I word it."

"Yes dear?" Mrs. Higurashi murmured. She hadn't heard Kagome sound this unsure of something since Kagome had come to her a year ago to request birth control. She had been worried at the time that Kagome was suddenly . . . active, in that part of life . . . but Kagome had told her frankly that was not the case. Rather, she had wanted to go on birth control for other reasons . . . to help stabilize her monthly times and make them shorter . . . in a sense, easier for InuYasha to deal with. Kagome had noticed an odd tendency that during her time, InuYasha became more irritable and harder to put up with. She had finally cornered him about it, and after a few dozen 'sits' had gotten to truth out of him. Mrs. Higurashi smiled slightly as she remembered how red Kagome had been explaining all this to her. She'd agreed, knowing that if Kagome had planned on being active sexually, she would never have concocted such a story . . . meaning that her reason's had to be the truth. Now, she wondered what was on her daughter's mind this time that was making her so hesitant, and listened attentively to her words.

"I . . . I think it would be best if I dropped out of school," Kagome blurted suddenly, staring at her hands. "When this is over . . . I want to train to be a miko." She paused for a moment before rushing on. "Something . . . something just tells me it's what I was meant to do . . . and I've just been putting it off, trying to deny it." She glanced up at her mother, her eyes uncertain. "I'm sorry . . . I know you are disappointed in me . . ."

"No, hun, I'm not." Kagome's startled eyes flew up to meet her mother's serious and calm expression across the table. "Kagome . . ." she sighed, "I've been wondering for month's now as to why you continued to place such an emphasis on your school work. I'll admit, that under normal circumstances, your schooling would be the most important thing in the world. But . . ." she paused to take a sip of her coffee before continuing, "circumstances in your case are far from normal. What you are doing back through that well is so much more important, and I've been thinking that perhaps you really were meant to be a miko. And after all this is over . . . do you really think you could be happy coming back here and living a 'normal' life?" She shook her head slowly, setting her coffee cup down before reaching over to grasp her daughter's hands.

"Kagome . . . you are my daughter, and I love you very much . . . and I am very proud of you. But . . . this world really isn't your home now. Your home, and your heart, are back there, with InuYasha. He needs you . . . and he loves you. So no, I am not disappointed in you . . . I never could be. I worry about you, but that's what mother's do. In any case, I've actually had the paperwork necessary for you ready and waiting for you for a while now. I just wanted to be sure that it was what you wanted."

Kagome got up from her chair, and rushed around the table to give her mother a huge hug, tears spilling down her cheeks. Mrs. Higurashi returned the hug, all the while hoping she was doing the right thing by allowing Kagome to make her own choice. Leaning back, she smiled down at her daughter.

"Now, dry those tears . . . before a certain hanyou with an over sensitive nose comes rushing in here to see why you are crying."

  
  


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Morning came early the next day to the Higurashi shrine, casting the golden glow of a new day over the worn buildings. InuYasha winced as it struck his eyelids, waking him instantly. He was still sprawled on the couch . . . although someone had draped a blanket over him at some point during the night. He sniffed, and smiled as he caught Kagome's scent on the blanket. He had figured it was her . . . she was the only person who would have been able to get that close to him without waking him. He sat up, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it of sleep before going in search of his mate. Surprisingly enough, he found both her and her mother already wide awake and in the kitchen discussing the wedding.

"We'll need to get him papers before you can be legally married . . . but I don't see any reason to really worry about it, honestly. You'll be spending most of your time over there anyway . . . oh, Good Morning InuYasha."

"Good morning . . . Mom," he replied, slumping into a vacant chair, still yawning, his fangs showing clearly. Kagome hid a grin behind the rim of her coffee mug. He was so NOT a morning person. Then again . . . neither was she most of the time. She'd woken up not long after dawn, too full of energy to go back to sleep. Her mother had come down the stairs not long after her, and found her in the kitchen practicing her mental exercises.

"So," her mother's voice broke into her thoughts, "when were the two of you planning on going back through the well?" InuYasha shrugged, glancing at Kagome before he answered.

"I figured to give Kagome a couple of days to rest and catch up on those damn 'test' things she's so fond of, the we would head back." Kagome stared at him in shock. He was willing to give her a couple of days? This was certainly a new development. A sudden thought made her eye him suspiciously, to which he replied with a bland, innocent look. Kagome wasn't fooled. 'He's up to something,' she thought warily. 'But what in the world could he be planning in my time?'

If Kagome had known, she would have dragged him straight back through the well by his adorable dog ears. 'It's time I met this Hojo guy,' InuYasha thought, watching Kagome studying him out of the corner of his eye. 'It's well past time I met the competition . . . and let them know who won.'

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - WAH! Yes, I could not resist doing a scene with Hojo meeting InuYasha. Now that she's his mate, he's gonna make sure everyone knows it! Jealous, possessive Inu-hanyou . . . look out below! Anyway, review peeps : ) I get such a great feeling from reading them. And if you haven't read my other fics, why don't you go read and review them too? I think they're quite good . . . but that's speaking for myself.


	19. My Mate Part 2

Disclaimer - 

DracOnyx - Dang it, Inu . . . I think they've got the hint that I don't own you by now . . . they aren't as dense as you are, you know.

InuYasha - Oi, wench, are you calling me dense? *cracks his knuckles*

DracOnyx - *unfazed* Yes, I am. If you weren't dense, you go and admit to Kagome that you love her instead of pining after that undead lump of clay.

InuYasha - Damn it, I'm not 'pining' after her . . . I just owe her, alright!

DracOnyx - yeah, yeah . . . whatever. Anyway, you all know that I don't own InuYasha or any of the others, so let's consider that a done deal, okay? Now . . . as for you *turns back to InuYasha* go sit in a corner or something so I can concentrate.

InuYasha - Geesh, wench . . . I'm not a dog.

DracOnyx - *raises an eyebrow at him* and I'm not a wench . . . get the picture?

  
  


Author's Notes - Hehe . . . poor Inu : ) Anyway, here's the next chapter . . . Inu meets Hojo. I know a lot of you are rubbing your hands in glee . . . so I'll let you just get on with the story and I'll add more notes at the bottom : )

  
  


Chapter 11 - My Mate (Part 2)

  
  


InuYasha lounged against the wall near the front entrance to Kagome's school, clad in a pair of baggy jeans and a skin tight black t-shirt, a baseball cap covering his ears and a pair of sunglasses hiding his eyes. It was lunch break, so he was trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible while the school yard was crowded with students. At the moment, he was attempting to ignore a nearby cluster of girls, who's giggling and constant looks his way were making him nervous. What the hell was their problem, anyway?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, he caught Kagome's scent emanating from the doors, and heaved a sigh of relief. Now they could get the hell out of here.

Kagome emerged into the sunlight, and was immediately surrounded by her friends. She tried to get a look at where InuYasha was, but couldn't catch a glimpse of him. She could sense him nearby, however, so wasn't too concerned as her friends dragged her off across the schoolyard, bombarding her with questions.

InuYasha growled low in his throat as Kagome was herded away from him, to the other side of the school yard. Removing himself from leaning against the wall, he took a step in her direction . . . and suddenly found himself surrounded by a hoard of giggling schoolgirls, all asking him who he was and whether or not he was a new student in the school. He sighed, and wished longingly that he hadn't promised Kagome that he would control any urges to act as he normally did.

"Kagome . . . Hojo's been looking all over for you! Where were you?" Amy asked. "Where have you been all morning? We saw you in home room . . . but then you went down to the office and we haven't seen you since!" One of her other friends piped up suddenly.

"Oh, there's Hojo now! Hey Hojo . . . we found Kagome for you!" she called. Kagome glared at her in annoyance. "You better grab him up fast if you're going to Kagome . . . he won't wait for you forever, you know."

"But I don't want . . ." Kagome sputtered indignantly.

"Kagome!" Inwardly, she groaned. This was SO not going to go well . . . she sincerely hoped InuYasha was not anywhere nearby. The last thing she needed was an overly dense Hojo running into an overly possessive InuYasha. She turned to greet Hojo, pasting a welcoming smile on her face . . . and suddenly found herself caught up in a hug. 'Oh no . . . when is he gonna take the hint . . . oh, gods, I hope InuYasha doesn't see this . . .'

"Kagome. It's so good to see that you are feeling well again. I was worried when you didn't show up to our last date. Your grandfather told me you had to go out of town for care . . . I know you would never purposefully leave me waiting for you . . . it must have been rather sudden," Hojo murmured, oblivious as always to Kagome's attempts to squirm out of his arms. He had been getting more and more demonstrative of his feelings for her over the last year . . . she'd begun to wonder if maybe he thought she was playing hard to get - or was he really just that dense?

"Hojo . . ." she began, intending to tell him that she wasn't interested in him like that AT ALL, only to break off at a low growl from behind her. She knew that growl . . . too well. 'Oh no . . . InuYasha is going to go berserk . . . why did Hojo have to pick NOW to hug me . . . especially when I'm no longer available, and mated to a VERY possessive dog demon . . .'

If she could have actually seen InuYasha's face, she would have realized that berserk didn't even begin to cover his reaction. He'd spent the last several minutes attempting to remove himself from his 'groupies' politely, as Kagome had requested, but when he'd seen Hojo envelope HIS mate in a hug, every instinct in his body had screamed in rage and taken over.

Tensing suddenly, he'd had sprung up and over his crowd of admirerer's, drawing many sounds of awe and amazement as he twisted in mid-air to land gracefully on his feet and walk quickly over to the embracing figures of Hojo and Kagome, his knuckles cracking ominously. He'd been able to clearly see that Kagome was wriggling around in an attempt to free herself from the boy's embrace, and his rage had grown by leaps and bounds when the boy refused to relinquish his hold on his mate.

Reaching out, he spun Kagome forcefully out of the boy's arms, and against his side, one arm holding her securely against him as his other hand wrapped in a vise-like grip around Hojo's neck and lifted. The boy dangled several inches off the ground, staring wide-eyed down at the still-growling hanyou. Rivulet's of blood began to trickle slowly out from beneath his claws as fear darkened Hojo's eyes.

Kagome glanced up at InuYasha, ready to scold him for reacting as he had, and gasped as she saw his face. Deep, jagged red stripes were slowly appearing along his cheekbones . . . he was losing control of his demon blood. 'Think, Kagome, think . . . shit, I have to get him home quickly . . . back to the Tetsusiaga. And somehow manage to get him to release Hojo without killing him . . .' She desperately searched her mind for some idea . . . any idea . . . as InuYasha spoke.

"Stay . . . away . . . from MY mate," he growled, his voice deadly cold with rage as he lifted Hojo higher off the ground and shook him slightly.

"Ka . . . Ka . . . gome . . ." Hojo gasped out, struggling for air. He was starting to see stars from the lack of oxygen, and he kicked his feet futilely in an attempt to free himself. InuYasha's grip began to tighten slowly as he struggled. Kagome's friends looked on in terror as Hojo's lips began to turn blue, frozen into inaction by the volatile figure before them.

Spurred into action by what she was seeing, Kagome reached a free arm down to InuYasha arm that held her pressed against him, and drew her forearm sharply against his claws. Blood welled from the striped wounds, and she saw InuYasha's nose twitch once in response. She raised her arm up before his face, blood dripping slowly to the ground below, drawing his attention from Hojo to her sharply.

"InuYasha, let him go . . ." she whispered. She stared up into his face, his eyes unreadable behind his sunglasses, the stripes on his cheeks standing out vividly in the afternoon light. "Just let him go, InuYasha . . . he didn't mean anything by it . . . please, just let him go." She watched his face carefully, and nearly sighed in relief as the markings on his face slowly faded from view.

The red fog began to fade from his mind as the scent of Kagome's blood impacted upon his senses like a hammer, breaking his rage. He blinked, looking from her face, to her arm, up to the boy slowly passing out in his grip. Growling softly once more, he released Hojo, who fell boneless with terror to the ground. Realizing what he had nearly just done, he looked once more at Kagome's face . . . and took off in a blur of motion.

Kagome staggered back at his abrupt release of her and sudden departure. Murmuring a quick excuse to her friends, and an apology to the terrified Hojo, she took off in a dead sprint after him, her bloody arm cradled tightly against her chest, ignoring the pain. He was long out of sight, his demonic speed giving him all the advantage. Kagome discarded trying to catch sight of him and reached out with her Miko powers, feeling for his youkai aura and following it as best she could through the winding streets. She was surprised to find that he was leading her straight back to the shrine, and quickly started using her normal shortcuts to cut down the distance between them.

She arrived home quickly and rushed up the steps, concentrating on his youki. She could still feel him, so she knew he hadn't gone back through the well . . . not yet at any rate. But where on the grounds was he? "The Goshinboku," she murmured. It made sense. She headed quickly for the area of the shrine where the tree stood, and stopped at the sight that met her eyes. InuYasha sat huddled at the base of the tree, the baseball hat and sunglasses thrown to one side . . . and he was crying. A whimper drifted to her ears, breaking her immobility. She approached him slowly, and her heart nearly broke as he cringed away from her.

"Oh, InuYasha . . ." she murmured. Kneeling down beside him, she reached out for him, and was hurt when he avoided her touch. "InuYasha . . . it's okay. Nothing happened."

"I could have killed him," he whispered harshly. "How can you say nothing happened?" He shuddered, and continued. "And I hurt you . . . I hurt YOU! Gods, Kagome . . . how can you love me? I'm a monster . . . I can't even keep myself from hurting the one I love . . . my mate." He shook his head abruptly, his ears flipping back and forth rapidly in agitation. 

"You didn't hurt me, InuYasha. I did this to myself . . ."

"To keep me from killing him," he broke in. "Either way, it's my fault. I'm so sorry Kagome . . ." He stood suddenly. "I love you . . . I'm so sorry . . . for everything." One minute he was there, staring down at her, a wealth of emotion in his eyes - love, sorrow, fear, anger, pain, confusion, regret - and the next, he was gone, as if he had never been.

Kagome stared at the place he had stood, tears welling up to spill silently down her face. That was how her mother found her, half an hour later, in the same position, her slender form shaking with sobs. She got her daughter to her feet, and into the house, where she slowly bandaged the still bleeding arm as Kagome relayed what had happened. And afterward's, as she cradled her sobbing daughter in her arms, she could only hope that her two wayward children could somehow surmount this new obstacle in their relationship.

  
  


To Be Continued (of course)

  
  


AN - 

InuYasha - What do you mean, of course? Geesh, aren't you done torturing me yet!?

DracOnyx - Nope. But don't talk to me about it, go talk to my muse. *watches InuYasha stalk out the door in search of her muse* Boy . . . that should be one hell of a meeting. Anyway . . . hello all my wonderful reviewers and, dare I call you, fans! Yep, it's me, crazy Drac at it still. I read just about the BIGGEST compliment of my life today . . . and nearly died of a heart failure.

Merith . . . that great writer who I admire a WHOLE lot . . . actually put my story (this one) up on her latest update to "A Heart Divided" as one she would recommend. I was SO speechless. There is nothing greater than the praise of your peers, and that was one WHOPPER of praise. But, I can't take all the credit. So, to all you reviewers, I wanted to give my deepest thanks for giving me the support and praise to continue. Without all of you, this story wouldn't be NEARLY as long as it is. So, once again, my deepest thanks.

And now, for a short plug : ) I just wrote a REALLY dark fic (which I am amazed at, myself . . . I never really write long stuff like that) and I request that you guys go check it out . . . just to see if I did alright with it. It's called "Standing in Shadows" and it's between Kagome and InuYasha . . . But that's all I'm gonna say, cause I don't wanna spoil it. So, go read that, and don't forget to review : ) You make me very very happy when you review : ) Makes my day to read them.


	20. Unexpected Assistance Part 1

Disclaimer - Once again, I do not own InuYasha and company . . . for which they are extremely grateful, trust me.

  
  


Author's Note - Slightly longer chapter, and I have no idea where it came from. It just dawned on me that maybe Sesshoumaru would decide to take an interest in the relationship (and the mess his brother was making of it) and maybe step in . . . both to annoy his brother some more, and to assist Kagome. I mean, come on, she's the only human who's ever really stood up to him . . . he's gotta respect her for that somewhere, right? So, here it is . . . Sess steps in to smack Inu over the head and give Kagome a hand . . . he's probably gonna show up some more in the story from here on out . . . he's just to arrogant to ignore : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 12 - Unexpected Assistance

  
  


Kagome returned to the Sengoku Judai late that evening, InuYasha fire-rat clothing in her bag, Tetsusiaga strapped onto her belt. He did not meet her at the well, as she had hoped he would, and she sighed. She trudged back to the village slowly, hoping he was nearby, and worried over the fact that he was still in clothing from her time and without his sword. At the edge of the village, she paused, looking back into the forest, silently willing him to show up . . . but there was nothing but the shadows underneath the forest canopy.

"InuYasha . . . where are you?" she murmured, before turning to continue her walk to her hut. All she could do now was hope he was okay . . . and wait for him to come back on his own.

  
  


*----------*----------*-----------*----------*

  
  
  
  


Tree after tree fell with a resounding crash to the forest floor, bearing with them tiny pieces of the rage burning inside him. The guilt, however, was ever present, and refused to go away, shadowing his heart and mind like an ever-present cloud.

He had hurt her . . . he had hurt his mate, and no amount of tree killing could assuage the utter horror and fear of himself that he felt. He stood, his breathing harsh, hands clenched into fists at his side, and tried not to weep in sheer frustration.

"What ever it is, decimating entire forests is not going to help, InuYasha," a cold, yet oh-so-familiar voice said from behind him. InuYasha jerked in surprise and spun about to face his brother, who stood calmly regarding him from a few feet away, lounging against one of the few still-standing trees. InuYasha could only glare at him as Sesshoumaru stood upright, brushing tiny bits of bark from his armor with a graceful hand. "Walk with me, little brother," he called over his shoulder. Hesitantly, wondering what his older half-brother was up to, InuYasha followed.

Sesshoumaru led him through the remainder of the forest, to a cliff overlooking the village. Once there, he gracefully sank to the ground, motioning for InuYasha to sit nearby. Together, they sat silently looking over the village below as the sun began to set and shadows grew to encompass the world below them.

"Care to tell me what it is that has you cutting swath's through 'your' forest?" Sesshoumaru asked after a time, his golden gaze still locked on the village far below.

"Why do you care?" The youkai lord sighed at InuYasha's belligerent tone, and absently flipped his tail off his shoulder.

"InuYasha . . . you may find this hard to believe, but I've come to certain . . . realizations lately. You . . . and your mate . . . are the only family that I have left . . . and Rin has forced me to realize that family can be important. This will not change the past between us . . . I would not wish it to . . . but it does, however, reflect on the path we can take in the future. Now, will you tell me why you are out here pretending to be some human wood cutter instead of down there with your mate . . . or should I go speak to her about it?"

InuYasha sighed, and stared down into the village, his eyes dark. He was unsure of how to respond to that rather . . . surprising admission by his elder brother. After all, the youkai lord had been trying to kill him for gods only knew how long. But, he remembered something Kagome had said, not too long ago.

  
  


*FLASHBACK*

"Maybe Sesshoumaru hates you because he was jealous, InuYasha. All the same, he has to have a heart in there somewhere . . . and his treatment of Rin proves that. Maybe someday he'll realize that the Tetsusiaga isn't as important to him as his only living relative is . . . although I doubt he'll ever tell you that."

*END FLASHBACK*

  
  


He glanced over at his brother, and almost smiled. It seemed as if Kagome had been right . . . but that didn't help his current predicament.

"I lost control . . . I nearly killed a boy for touching Kagome . . . and she cut herself to bring me back from my youkai blood taking over again," he murmured, his voice dripping with disgust for himself.

"That girl is braver and far stronger that I thought to have done such a thing. The scent of her blood could very well have sent you over the edge, instead of bringing you back from it," Sesshoumaru commented solemnly. "The young miko is a good match for you."

"Not if I lose control again and kill her. I would rather die myself than to hurt her."

"So . . . is that why you are out here, rather then with her, claiming your mate? You're afraid of hurting her if you lose control?" Sesshoumaru snorted and shook his head. "You are an even bigger fool than I had thought you to be, hanyou." InuYasha stood abruptly, anger humming in his tensed muscles and clenched fists.

"I didn't follow you out here just to be insulted, you arrogant bastard. You don't understand a damn thing, you heartless prick." He turned to walk away, only to find himself suddenly lifted off the ground with his brother's hand wrapped firmly around his throat, Sesshoumaru's snarling face inches from his own.

"Listen to me, and listen well, you stubborn, obtuse, half-breed!" Sesshoumaru snarled angrily, shaking him. "We may never get along, but we are of the same blood-line, and I will not allow our father's blood to be tainted with shame for such a foolish mistake. You severely underestimate that girl . . . do you think she didn't know what she was getting into when she mated with you? She has accepted you . . . all of you, you baka, both human and demon sides. She obviously has great faith in you, that you will never harm her intentionally, no matter what your form." He shook the hanyou again before flinging him to the ground to tower over him.

"That girl . . . while I still have no regard for humans what so ever, I respect her, for she is far much more than human. She is powerful, brave, strong, and kind . . . and much more than you deserve, it seems." He clenched a fist at his side, drawing blood from his claws as he fought to get control of himself. InuYasha could only stare up at him in shock. His brother . . . respected Kagome? Enough that he was willing to speak kindly of her?

"You're a fool to deny her the right to choose her own path, InuYasha . . . and an even greater fool if you think that just by taking her to bed with you, she is yours and no other demon will come for her. There is at least one out there that desire's her as his mate, and now that her powers have matured and come forward, he will be drawn to her. I suggest that you get over this . . . idiocy you have, and return to your mate quickly. Or you may lose her before she was ever truly yours." With that, he turned and walked off, leaving InuYasha to stare at him in shock and puzzle over what he had said.

  
  


*-----------*-----------*-----------*----------*

  
  


Kagome raised her head slowly, the nearness of a familiar and all too powerful youkai aura drawing her attention from her diary. 'Now, what could he be doing here? He called a truce, didn't he?' she wondered, even as she stood to go out to meet him. Grabbing up the Tetsusiaga as she exited the hut, she strapped it carefully across her back as she headed for the nearby's forest edge, where she could sense him waiting.

She paused uncertainly as she spied the youkai lord standing beneath the trees, but strengthened her resolve and stepped forward. Once she reached him, she inclined her head respectfully.

"Hello, Sesshoumaru," she murmured.

"I must say . . . I never would have expected to be greeted so kindly, by a human," he murmured, turning to walk along the forest's edge. Kagome solemnly walked beside him, keeping her distance, but not as much as she usually would have.

"Well . . . you did call a truce, which would make us allies . . . at least until Naraku is defeated. I would think that the great Lord of the Western Lands would be sure to hold to his word, so why should I continue to treat you as an enemy?" She sighed, and smiled up at him when she caught his golden eyes regarding her speculatively.

"You are wise beyond your years, girl . . . much more so then my brother, it seems." Kagome froze suddenly, and turned to face him completely.

"You've seen InuYasha?" she asked quietly. "Is he alright?"

"He is as well as can be expected. Taking his anger out of innocent trees, it seems, and holding to idiotic ideas and doubts, but alive," Sesshoumaru replied, his eyes unreadable.

"He told you what happened, I take it." Sesshoumaru nodded once.

"You were brave . . . to do as you did. You must have a great amount of faith in the hanyou."

"He is my mate. I know he would never intentionally harm me . . . I just wish . . ."

"That he would trust himself as you trust him?" Kagome tried not to show her shock when he actually smiled slightly, albeit mockingly. "He will . . . or he will lose you." He was slightly surprised when Kagome rounded on him, her tiny frame shaking in anger.

"I would NEVER leave him!" she snarled, her hands clenching into fists at her side. Sesshoumaru got the nagging suspicion she was restraining herself from hitting him. 'Good . . . that means she is already protective of him . . . as a mate should be . . . even when outmatched.'

"I was not implying that you would, girl. But you may not have a choice in that matter. Your powers have manifested now, and your aura is much stronger. That will make you very . . . attractive, as a mate, even to youkai who have no interest in humans."

"But . . . InuYasha and I . . ."

"He has not fully completed the ritual that will make you his mate. He has marked you with his scent and seed . . . but those traces can easily be overwhelmed by another. He must claim you with his blood, and complete the bond between the two of you," he murmured, his golden eyes staring down into her blue/grey orbs.

"What do you mean, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked quietly. Sesshoumaru sighed, and leaned back against a nearby tree. Kagome stood facing him, her face grave as she began to understand what Sesshoumaru was implying.

"I never thought to be explaining this to a human . . .," he began, shaking his head slightly as the irony of the situation. "However, as my brother's chosen, you have a right to know . . . besides which, you are far more than a mere human. Under the light of the full moon, you must share your blood with each other . . . he must take some of your blood into himself, and you must take some of his into you. Not much . . . too much will change both of you irrevocably . . . just enough to make the bond between you unbreakable. It will bind your spirits together . . . in essence, two will become one. In the case of a human to youkai or hanyou bond . . . you will gain his life span, and perhaps some of his abilities. He, in turn, may gain an immunity to your powers . . . although I can not be certain. No miko has ever mated to a youkai or a hanyou before."

"Does . . . does InuYasha know about this bond?" She couldn't help but wonder if he had kept it from her in an attempt to protect her, as his mate, from being used against him.

"I would assume so . . . the knowledge is passed down at maturity . . . he can't possibly be that ignorant of his heritage," Sesshoumaru said, shaking his head again. Kagome turned to glare at him.

"Well, considering certain individuals whose names we will not mention have denied him that heritage for his whole life . . ." she commented, pointedly directing her words at the youkai lord.

"If he doesn't," Sesshoumaru continued, ignoring the obvious remark against his former behavior towards his brother, "then it is a good thing that I prepared this." He pulled from beneath his armor a tightly rolled scroll, sealed with an impression of a dog demon in his demon form in black wax. He handed it to Kagome, who examined the seal curiously before looking back at Sesshoumaru. "There is valuable information in there . . . a good deal of it on inu-youkai, and most of it known only to youkai. I only request that you not allow it to fall into the exterminator's hands."

Kagome nodded solemnly and tucked the scroll into a back pocket, studying Sesshoumaru calmly. She held up a hand as he turned to go, halting him where he stood as she stepped closer.

"One last question, Sesshoumaru . . . Why? Why are you doing this . . . I mean, helping me?" He shrugged elegantly, his expression thoughtful as he ran one hand absently over his tail.

"I suppose . . . because you are unlike any human I have ever met, girl. You have a great deal of potential power . . . and even though you have been frightened of me in the past, you do not cower, but stand firm. I respect that. Besides . . . InuYasha needs all the help he can get if he is to be worthy of our father's name . . . and he definitely needs you." He began to walk away when her voice stopped him once again.

"My name . . . it's Kagome, Sesshoumaru. Not girl, not young miko . . . just Kagome. It took me forever to get your brother to realize that . . . I wouldn't like to think that he mastered something you couldn't." Sesshoumaru barely controlled the smile that her comment brought to his lips. The girl . . . Kagome, had guts, there was no mistaking that.

"Very well then . . . Kagome. I'm sure we will meet again," he replied.

"Yes . . . and, umm . . . thank you. For everything." She watched as the enigmatic youkai lord faded into the shadows of the forest, and suddenly grinned.

"Rin must really be getting to him."

  
  


To Be Continued (still)

  
  


AN - Poor Sess . . . now I've added him to the list of tormented characters in my fic. Ah well, he deserves it almost as much as Inu does, the arrogant baka. Anyway . . . don't forget to review and let me know you still love my fic, and if you haven't yet, go read my others . . . I've been amazing myself with the ideas I'm coming up with lately. Some scary stuff in this head of mine. Later all : )


	21. Unexpected Assistance Part 2

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha. If I did, I would be rich, famous . . . and they would hate me : )

  
  


Author's Notes - Short chapter . . . reviewer replies at the end : ) Promise I will do a better update next time.

  
  


Chapter 12 - Unexpected Assistance Pt. 2

  
  


Kagome spent the next three hours pouring over the scroll Sesshoumaru had handed to her. Sighing as she finished, she carefully rolled it back up and tucked it into her back pack, mulling over the information in her head.

As well as the full mating ritual of inu-youkai . . . which had been in enough detail to make her blush . . . she had found information on how they aged, family histories, remedies for illnesses only youkai could get, and details on the few youkai - human pregnancies there had been. She had been surprised that Sesshoumaru had taken the time to write such invaluable information for her . . . and was very grateful for it. That scroll had answered a lot of questions for her. Only one question remained, and she wouldn't find the answer to that in the scroll . . . where was InuYasha?

Running her fingers through her hair, she stared out the door at the darkening sky. He'd been gone for a full day now . . . was he okay? Tomorrow was the night of the full moon . . . the precise time to complete the ritual that would fully bind them as mates. But after the incident with Hojo . . . she wondered if he would want to go through with it. He was so afraid . . . afraid of himself, of what he might do to her . . . how could she make him realize that he would never intentionally hurt her, no matter what his form?

Shaking her head, she had to admit she had no idea how to do that. She smiled grimly at the irony. After everything they had been through to get to the point they were in their relationship, the only obstacle that could destroy everything they had built so far . . . lay not outside, but within the relationship itself.

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  


InuYasha sat quietly on the cliff overlooking the village, having not moved since Sesshoumaru had left him. He knew Kagome was down there . . . he could sense her, even from such a distance. Silently, he mulled over his brother's words to him that morning. Was he really being foolish? He was so afraid of losing control and hurting Kagome . . . but was it better to hurt her as he was by closing himself off from her?

Sesshoumaru had said she had faith in him. But . . . how could she when he didn't have faith in himself? He shook his head at his own thoughts. 'What a mess,' he mused, turning his attention to the sky.

One other thing Sesshoumaru had said continued to plague his thoughts. What had Sesshoumaru meant when he said Kagome wasn't fully his mate yet, and was still claim able by others? Was that possible?

He stiffened suddenly as the early morning breezes brought him a new, familiar scent. He'd spent the night out here, thinking . . . now it looked like he was going to have a very unwanted guest in his territory.

"What the hell is HE doing here?" he growled. "Damn bastard doesn't know when to give up and back off!" Standing, he sprinted towards the familiar scent, noting that it seemed to be heading in the direction of the Goshinboku. A second scent, also familiar, made it's way into the mix, and he began to growl. "That stinking bastard . . . he's after Kagome again!"

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  


Kagome broke off from her early morning meditation as a familiar youkai aura invaded her senses. She sighed, shifting on the branch of Goshinboku she was perched upon, settling back with a slight frown of annoyance on her face.

"This is definitely not good timing . . ." she murmured, absently caressing the sword hilt over her shoulder. It was approaching noon, nearly two days after InuYasha had taken off. Tonight was the night of the full moon . . . and there had still been no sign of him. Did he even know about the blood ritual? She sighed again, blinking away the tears that came when she thought of her absent mate. Where was he? And why hadn't he come back?

She tensed as she saw the youkai she had sensed earlier, hoping he wouldn't find her, but knowing damn well that he would . . . he was a youkai, after all. Absently, she wondered if she could use her miko powers to hide both her scent and her aura . . . and then resolved to ask the dream Kikyo about it the next training session they had.

"Ah . . . there you are, beautiful Kagome. Where's the mutt?" She sighed, and silently pleaded to whatever gods would listen for them to give her patience.

"Hello Kouga."

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


Review Replies - 

  
  


To - eddie, Hanyou-Girl25, Raura, Twins, kittydemon, Silvermoon maru, Makina Kitsune, Moonfairy2000, MikkY, CorruptedAngel, WhitneyLin, Evil Bunny, silverstarlight, mvdiva, nataku, Papaya!, Arsenal - Thank you so much for reviewing, and I am so glad you are enjoying my story. Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep on writing : ) 

  
  


Shizu-chan - Fluff and non-sense, my dear. Fluff and non-sense. Hehe, actually, plenty more fluff, and a little bit of action. After all . . . Kouga is on the scene now : )

  
  


Ambereyes - YOINKS! *runs and hides behind Seph* don't kill me . . . I swear there is more goodness to come. Promise!

  
  


Kats - Not sure if there will be more lemons in here . . . I don't think there will be, although I can't really say for sure. I don't want to overwhelm the story of my fic with lemons. I will, however, probably be writing another story with a lemon in it soon : )

  
  


Tsukinoko - Yeah, I've just gotten into Rurouni Kenshin (once again, thank you Cartoon Network!) And I get a royal kick out of Kenshin : ) That's not where the idea came from . . . I haven't seen that episode yet, but I'm looking forward to it now : )

  
  


YamiNeko - Watch that floor . . . it can hurt : )

  
  


NamelessMoonshine - Hojo is fine . . . but I don't think he'll be going near Kagome anytime soon. That literally scared some sense into him.

  
  


Sailor Midnight - I just couldn't leave Sess alone . . . he's too tempting a target.

  
  


Saro - Having a lot of rather dark ideas (see Standing in Shadows). Very odd for me . . . I'm a dark person, but not usually that dark when it comes to writing. That story surprised even me.

  
  


Botan - hehe, don't worry, you'll find out : )

  
  


cheler - *wards off bad omens* things will get interesting, just let me leave it at that.

  
  


inuficcrzy - why thank you. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

  
  


Corran Nackatori - hehe, sorry about that. No, no Sess / Kag stuff here . . . I read em, I find them entertaining, but I am a firm supporter of Inu / Kag. I may write a Sess / Kag somewhere down the line . . . but this is definitely InuYasha and Kagome.

  
  


animeangelstar2000 - Good to see you again : ) Was wondering where you had disappeared to. Glad you are still enjoying the story . . . keep reading : )

  
  


Higurashi Kagome - don't worry . . . this story still has many a twist and turn in it . . . I think. More Fluff on the way, but more angst and action too.

  
  


Amehana sono hanyou - Glad that I managed to clear things up for you, and that you like the way I do Ms. Higurashi. I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story.

  
  


Lunatic Pandora - hehe, yeah, the fluff scenes were meant to really be stand alone . . . the fic could be read either with or without them . . . at least, that's how I planned it. Sess is showing up more now . . . no going through the well for him . . . I think he would flip out if he discovered the whole future thing : )

  
  


dark akira - hey there : ) email addy is draconyx1@hotmail.com . . . my website address is on my stats page if you click on my name : ) Mainly cause I can never remember the darn thing.

  
  


Blue Dreamer - sorry I couldn't kill Hojo. But, did you like what I did to him?

  
  


To Everyone - Sorry if I forgot or didn't mention you . . . trust me, it wasn't because I don't appreciate each and every one of you. I love all of you (not that way, you bunch of hentai! *bonk*) 

  
  


If you like my writing and haven't read my other works, here is a list and a short description. Go check em out and tell me what you think.

  
  


INUYASHA FICS :

  
  


Hanyou (story id # 1233094) - A short one shot done from InuYasha's point of view as he reflects on who and what he is, and how his companions have changed him.

  
  


Innocent Blood (story id # 1231112) - A very angsty one shot that I did. Kagome is forced to sacrifice herself to purify the jewel once and for all. How will InuYasha react? And is Kagome really dead? 

  
  


Standing In Shadows (story id# 1288371) - A dark / romantic fic that I wrote. Was going to be a one shot, but turned into 3 chapters long *sweatdrops*. After Inu runs off to Kikyo again, Kagome starts to wonder if maybe it wouldn't be better off for everyone if she just got out of the way permanantly. Done from Kagome's POV and God POV. I was surprised how it turned out, myself.

  
  


And then there is my Final Fantasy VII fictions. There is only one so far, but I'm working on a longer one as well.

  
  


Beyond The Mask (story id# 1265977) - A brief glimpse into the lives of Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth in SOLDIER and how they met and interacted. I took a little bit of liberty with this one.

  
  


So anyway . . . *radio voice comes on* This concludes the end of our broadcast day. Please return for the next episode of Starlight and Shadows. *ducks a claw swipe*

Drac : Inu, dang it . . . I'm trying to type here!

Inu : I think you've done enough of that damn torture for one day, you bake wench!

Drac : oh, for heaven's sake . . . all right already . . . *turns to Seph* hey, Seph . . . what else is on the agenda for today?

Sephiroth : knowing you, more writing and reading more fan fictions.

Drac : oh . . . yeah. Thanks hun. Later all : )


	22. Claims Part 1

Disclaimer - *InuYasha* - She doesn't own us, thank the gods, or else I would probably be long dead of various causes by now.

*DracOnyx* - don't listen to him. He's right that I don't own him, but I could never kill him . . . he's too cute. I can, however, torture him for being a baka : )

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes - well, here you are folks. A decidedly longer chapter, to make up for the shortness of my last one. Hope you enjoy. I do believe this is the hardest chapter I've ever written . . . and I thought lemon scenes were rough. Fight scenes are ten times worse, let me tell you : ) I had to draw myself diagrams to be sure I got placements right . . . yick! Anyway, read, enjoy, and please review : ) I love reading them . . . they are so much fun : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 13 - Claims

  
  


Kagome dropped lightly to the ground, keeping a few feet in between her and the wolf youkai.

"What are you doing here, Kouga? You know InuYasha will blow a gasket if he finds you." Kouga looked confused for a moment.

"'Blow a gasket'? What does that mean?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a gesture that was eerily similar to InuYasha. Kagome waved the question away absently.

"Never mind, Kouga. It's not important. Why are you here?"

"Why . . . to claim my mate, of course. Now that you have matured, you will bear me strong pups and help me to rebuild my pack.." He advanced on her slowly, his eyes glowing with an unholy light. Kagome began to back away slowly, trying vainly to keep as much distance between them as possible.

"Kouga . . . look . . . you see . . . the thing is . . ." Her back hit something solid, and she started in surprise before strong, familiar arms wrapped around her protectively.

"She's already claimed, wolf. Even your pathetic excuse for a nose can't have missed my scent on her," a voice growled, as Kagome heaved a sigh of relief.

"InuYasha," she breathed, happy for the first time in two days. He leaned down to nuzzle her neck slightly, nipping at her skin with his teeth.

"Of course I could smell you on her, mutt, but you haven't completed the ritual . . . she's still claim able. And I'm here to claim her as my mate . . . as I promised," Kouga replied, his own voice dropping into a growl. "Beside, why would she choose a filthy, pathetic half-breed like you over a full-blooded youkai such as myself? You must have forced yourself on her . . . Kagome would never have allowed you to bed her willingly." InuYasha's growl intensified from a low rumble to an out-right snarl at this, his arms tightening around Kagome possessively.

"She did choose me, you wimpy wolf! I forced her to do nothing!"

"I doubt that highly . . . but I'll make it fair for you. Fight me for her. One on one . . . no sword, no shards . . . just teeth, claws, and flesh. Or are you afraid you can't win?" InuYasha snarled, baring his fangs to the wolf youkai as he stepped forward, placing Kagome firmly behind him. Kagome's hand on his shoulder stopped him from outright leaping at Kouga.

"I'm not some prize for the two of you to fight over, you know. I make my own choices," she said.

"If dog turd can prove to me that he can protect you as his mate by defeating me, I'll leave you alone. If not, you are mine, Kagome. In time, you will come to love me as you do him." Kagome shook her head firmly in denial at Kouga's statement, but stopped when InuYasha turned to face her, one clawed hand gently cupping her face as his golden eyes met hers, his expression serious.

"He's right, Kagome. This is the only way that he'll stop trying to lay claim to you."

"InuYasha . . . you could be killed! No, I won't allow it . . ."

"You don't have a choice here, Kagome. It has to be done," InuYasha said firmly. Stealing one last kiss from her, he turned away and approached Kouga. "Get rid of your shards, Kouga. And don't forget, Kagome will know if you don't give her all of them." Kouga nodded, swiftly removing his three shards, which he walked over and handed to Kagome solemnly.

"I hope you will forgive me when this is all over, Kagome," Kouga murmured. Kagome just smiled softly at him.

"There will be nothing to forgive, Kouga. He will win."

"You have that much faith in that mutt?" Kagome merely shook her head at his insistence, and tucked his shards into a pocket.

"I have faith in InuYasha." Kouga snorted and turned to stand across from the hanyou, a determined look stamped upon his features. "Please, be careful InuYasha," she murmured as the hanyou and wolf youkai sized each other up, neither wanting to make the first move.

At last, InuYasha's patience wore thin and he leaped for Kouga, his claws reaching for the wolf, intent on shredding his heart from his chest. But the wolf was fast, even without the shards, and dodged out of the way, his own fists lashing out. InuYasha saw the move, and landing on one hand, sprang back up and over to his feet, out of Kouga's immediate range. They continued to strike and dodge, feeling each other out, until Kouga drew first blood with a claw strike to InuYasha's chest, shredding the thin shirt of Kagome's time and drawing strips of red across the pale skin beneath.

InuYasha hissed in surprise, but shrugged the pain off, lunging back into the fight with a spinning kick that caught Kouga on the shoulder, sending him spinning into the ground. Kouga was back on his feet within seconds, and the two traded blows back and forth across the clearing as Kagome looked on, a worried expression on her face.

Hearing approaching footsteps from the direction of the village, she moved to intercept them. Miroku and Sango stepped into the clearing, tensing at the battle that raged before them.

"Kagome, what in the heaven's is going on?" Sango asked, her eyes on the battle. "Why are Kouga and InuYasha fighting?"

"Why isn't InuYasha using the Tetsusiaga?" Miroku asked quietly, looking in concern at Kagome's worried face.

"They're fighting over me," Kagome replied. "No swords, no shards . . . just straight one on one." She sighed, and shook her head. "I honestly don't know how this one is going to turn out . . . gods, I hope InuYasha wins."

"He will, Kagome," Miroku said, patting her shoulder comfortingly. "He's always been at his best when he's fighting for you."

Both fighter's were panting, glaring at each other from a short distance, blood flowing freely from lacerations on both, although none were terribly serious.

"Kagome's mine, dog turd. With how you treat her, how could she not choose me? You're just some half breed mutt who doesn't even have a home or a heritage. Why don't you just relinquish your claim to her and run away with your tail between your legs . . . at least you would still have your life," Kouga taunted, spitting out blood.

"Kagome IS my life, you flea bitten wannabe wolf!" InuYasha charged blindly, his rage making him careless. Kouga spun out of the way, raking his claws down InuYasha's exposed back, leaving several serious wounds. InuYasha, unable to halt his forward momentum, crashed into the underbrush and lay still.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed, moving to run to him. Kouga was suddenly in front of her, scooping her up and slinging her, kicking, over his shoulder.

"I win . . . Kagome is MY mate," he stated calmly. "Come Kagome . . . it is time to begin rebuilding my pack." He began to walk off, Miroku and Sango frozen into stunned immobility. Only Shippo could react, and he promptly leapt for Kouga's tail, clamping down with his teeth onto the furry mass. Kouga howled, snatching him off and flinging him back towards the stunned humans. "Annoying kit . . . learn your place," he snarled.

"SHIPPO! Kouga, put me down this instant! God damn you, you damn barbarian, LET . . . ME . . .GO!" Out of nowhere, Kagome's aura flared up, responding to her anger and fear violently. Kouga yelped in pain, promptly dropping her to the ground as the purifying energy burned him. Kagome grunted in pain as she hit the ground, but promptly scrambled back to her feet and backed away as Kouga advanced on her, still intent on claiming the prize he now considered rightfully his.

A blur of silver knocked Kouga into the forest just as he was reaching out to grab her. Kagome gasped, suddenly finding herself facing a bare, fully healed expanse of InuYasha's back.

"InuYasha?" she whispered, stunned. She could have sworn that he was out cold. He glanced over his shoulder at her, and Kagome stepped back as the stripe on his cheek came into view. 'Oh no . . . he's lost control again . . . even with Tetsusiaga nearby . . ."

"No more playing, you pathetic wolf. Kagome is MY mate!" InuYasha growled, his claws flexing absently as Kouga picked himself up, shaking his head to clear it. "Come on, flea bag . . . I haven't got time to waste on you and your pathetic attempts to claim my mate . . ." Kouga snarled and charged him, jumping up into a roundhouse kick, aiming for InuYasha's head. InuYasha read the move and reached out, snagging Kouga's leg in the air, claws digging into the flesh fro purchase as he used the wolf's momentum to fuel his own movement. He spun with the wolf in his hands, flinging him into the air before leaping after him.

The mid-air collision was spectacular, InuYasha using both fists to hammer into the small of Kouga's back, sending him plummeting head long back towards the ground below. Kagome could only watch, stunned, as InuYasha once again beat him to ground, kicking out to send Kouga flying into a nearby tree before he touched earth again. Kouga slumped for a moment, coughing blood, before staggering back to his feet and charging the demonic InuYasha again. InuYasha merely grinned, his claws extending their length as he awaited Kouga's charge, his own crimson eyes bloodthirsty. He swung, not anticipating Kouga's ducking and sliding under neath his blow at the last second. The wolf youkai came up behind him, his fist planting itself into InuYasha's face when the hanyou turned to find his opponent. 

The punch only dazed him for a second before he was back into the fray, Kouga expending all his strength and speed to merely avoid being shredded. He'd never seen InuYasha like this . . . this was not the hanyou he'd expected to beat so easily. He was barely managing to dodge the attacks, much less get in any counter-attacks of his own. Finally, he saw an opening and took it, his fist flying towards InuYasha's head. Unfortunately, he realized too late that the hanyou had deliberately left himself open. His hands clamped onto Kouga's wrist, and he spun, flinging the lighter wolf demon to the ground.

The hanyou - turned - youkai was on the wolf leader in a second, his snarling face inches from Kouga's own, pining Kouga to the forest floor.

"Yield, wolf. Give up your claim to my mate and yield, before I begin to hunger for the taste of your blood," InuYasha snarled, his crimson eyes boring into Kouga's own, their look that of a feral beast. "Or do you wish to leave your pack leaderless by dying needlessly here?" Kouga whined, baring his throat in submission, yielding his claim to Kagome to the stronger male. InuYasha leapt off him, his chest heaving as he fought back the desire to kill the wolf and be done with it. Kouga slowly stood up, facing Kagome for a moment and nodding before moving to leave.

Clapping echoed through the clearing, stopping everyone where they stood as cold laughter joined it.

"Well done, InuYasha . . . just what I would expect from a common beast such as yourself." Kagome froze. She knew that voice, only too well.

"Naraku . . ." she whispered. "He's here."

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - Yes, yes, I know . . . put down those rotten vegetables, I know I left a nasty cliffhanger there again. I can't help it . . . leaving cliff hangers is my way of telling you I want you to keep reading my story : ) And really, I am terribly flattered by the number of people who like this story : ) Next half of the chapter will be posted next Monday : ) Till then, I've also posted a new Final Fantasy VII fic called 'A Second Life' and, heaven's help us all, a new Yu-Gi-Oh fic (I'm an avid fan and a duelist) called 'Out of Darkness'. Go check em out if you share my interest in those two things : ) Later all, and I hope you had a happy easter and a good spring break or what not.


	23. Claims Part 2

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha . . . but I do have a ton of manga, four DVD's, and my Zippo, which if anyone touches, I will break their fingers. So there : P

  
  


Author's Notes - Okay, well this one is gonna be a little long . . . I hope you can all forgive me.

  
  


1 - It has come to my attention thanks to my loyal reviewers, that I was/am being plagiarized. To tell you the truth, I'm caught between being terribly amused, highly irritated, and somewhat honored. Let me explain . . . I'm amused because, from all accounts I've heard, they did a really BAD job at it, I'm irritated because I spent a lot of time on this (as well as two solid months reading every single InuYasha fic to make sure that I had a semi-original plot line), and somewhat honored because I guess they considered my story good enough to plagiarize. Now, my next point feed into this one, so bear with me.

2 - My computer has been on the fritz. This has not stopped my writing, but I am a little behind at the moment. Due to a file mishap, we had to wipe my hard drive and start over . . . and then we lost our modem's driver, which prevented me from logging on. Thus, whoever this person is who plagiarized me with this 'Starlight Dreams' story, caught a good window, cause I never saw it. So, I have a request to ask of you, my loyal readers . . . if you have the story id# of this guy, let me know in a review. I'd like to read it and see how badly it got mangled. Also, if you haven't already, report the guy please. I spend a lot of time on this story to make sure it's a good read, and I don't appreciate someone taking my work. Plagiarism is a curse to any writer.

  
  


With that said, on with the story.

  
  


Chapter 13 Part 2 

  
  


"Naraku . . ." InuYasha snarled, turning full circle in an attempt to find the source of his nemesis' voice. He couldn't see him anywhere, and the smell of him was so overwhelming that he couldn't be located by scent. A gasp from Kagome made him spin toward's his mate, a snarl bursting forth as he found her struggling in Naraku's grasp.

"Kagome!" Miroku and Sango shouted, stepping forward towards their captive friend, leaving Kirara to watch over an unconscious Shippo.

"One more step, humans, and I will snap her neck like a twig," Naraku stated calmly, his fingers tightening around Kagome's neck as his other arm tightened his grip on her around her chest. The monk and exterminator froze, looking at InuYasha in alarm, unsure of what they could possibly do. His growl was barely audible, but his fist were clenched tightly, so much so that he was drawing blood as his claws dug into his palms.

"Let . . . her . . . go," he ground out, his ears laying flat against his skull as his rage threatened to consume him. Naraku only chuckled coldly, pulling Kagome even closer to him.

"Ah . . . but she is such a sweet and satisfying catch, InuYasha . . ." Naraku murmured. Keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the growling inu-youkai, he licked a thin path up the side of Kagome's face from her shoulder to her ear. "So much like Kikyo, isn't she InuYasha? You can relive your tragic love all over again . . . though I must say, this one has so much more fire and spirit in her . . ."

InuYasha took a step forward, his eyes narrowing ominously, but stopped short of launching an attack when Kagome whimpered slightly in pain, one of Naraku's claws digging painfully into the soft flesh of her throat. She stared at her mate helplessly, unable to do anything. Her terror was overwhelming . . . so much so that her mind could not concentrate on bringing her power's to bear on the hanyou that held her in his grasp.

"One step closer, InuYasha, and you get to watch Kikyo die all over again. And this time, no arrow is going to spare you the loss." InuYasha froze, his claws digging deeper into his palms as he fought to remain in control of himself.

"You wouldn't dare . . ." he growled.

"Wouldn't I? I caused Kikyo's death that day . . . what makes you think I would hesitate to kill this girl, this copy of your love? Or could it be that you fear this girl's death more than your own?" Naraku's eyes narrowed in thought, his hand absently toying with the soft, pale flesh of Kagome's throat. "You have become weak, InuYasha. Your love for this reincarnation will be your undoing." He released Kagome suddenly, barely dodging an attack from behind that would have taken his head off. He leapt into a nearby tree, turning to glare coldly down at his attacker.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." he hissed. "I'm surprised at you, resorting to such sneak attacks. I had thought you better than your brother. He specializes in such things, after all." The inu-youkai lord merely returned the glare just as coldly from where he stood, Kagome protected behind him.

"You are not worthy of an honorable face-to-face attack, abomination. Was it not you, after all, who took a child under my protection in an attempt to force my cooperation?" he replied, his voice emotionless and empty . . . the true voice of a youkai lord.

"Yes . . . your father would be so proud of you both . . . following so closely in his footsteps as you are," Naraku sneered. Summoning his miasma, he wrapped it around himself, cloaking himself in it's darkness. "The end of this will come soon, fools . . ." he said, beginning to fade from sight. "But on my terms and my playing field, not your own."

Everyone in the clearing remained in place for a few moments after Naraku had taken his leave of them, unsure as to whether or not the psychotic hanyou was truly gone. Sesshoumaru was the first to move, turning to face Kagome, who still stood close behind him. He reached out with one delicate, clawed hand, gently raising Kagome's chin to examine the marks Naraku had left on her neck. The young miko's eyes widened at the unexpected gentleness from the usually icy youkai lord, but did not try to pull away, staring up into his golden eyes curiously as he examined her. A sudden harsh growl caused him to glance away from her and his examination, looking up at his half-brother, who stood a short distance away, blood red eyes locked on his mate and his brother.

"InuYasha . . . regain your control, hanyou. I am not contesting your claim to the young miko . . . I was merely assessing the damage Naraku inflicted." He moved suddenly away from Kagome, dodging a barely seen attack by his enraged hanyou brother. "InuYasha," he growled out, as he continued to dodge the sporadic attacks, "I have no desire to fight you for your mate. Cease this nonsense." InuYasha only snarled and lunged to attack again. Annoyed, Sesshoumaru dodged the attack once again, and seeing that his brother was not about to listen to sense any time soon, directed his comments toward's Kagome instead.

"As much as I dislike admitting this . . . I believe I am going to require your assistance, Kagome," he said, stepping to one side and bringing his fist down on the back of InuYasha's neck as the hanyou missed with another attack. "He is not currently in his right mind, and will not listen to reason."

"He shouldn't be this way at all!" Kagome called out in return. "Not with Tetsusiaga in such close proximity . . . what do you want me to do?" She motioned for Sango and Miroku to stay back with Kirara and Shippo, knowing that they could do no more than enrage InuYasha further in his current state.

"If I can restrain this arrogant hot-head, do you think that you could possibly come up with something?" Sesshoumaru replied. For the first time since Kagome had met him, he actually sounded . . . emotional. Well, actually, he sounded frustrated and annoyed, but it was still something.

"I can try . . . but I can't guarantee that anything I do will work. He doesn't have the rosary anymore." At this, Kouga stepped forward from where he had been hovering on the outskirts of the clearing, his face serious.

"I will help . . . if I may." Kagome nodded to him, absently handing him his three shards as she watched Sesshoumaru continue to lead InuYasha in circle's around the clearing. There were a couple of close calls, where the youkai lord misjudged his brother's speed, but he had yet to have actually been hit. Kouga bent down, quickly embedding the shard's in his skin once again before moving to join the youkai lord in attempting to restrain his enraged half-brother.

Together, the two youkai managed to pin InuYasha to the ground, after several moments of touch and go fighting. Each youkai held one arm firmly in his grasp, restraining the hanyou as Kagome approached cautiously. She removed Tetsusiaga carefully from her back before gently laying it across his chest. She moaned in dismay when nothing happened.

"Oh no . . . I was afraid of this . . ." she murmured, wracking her brain for what else she could possibly try.

"If you do not mind, woman . . . he is a little more difficult to restrain then you might think, even for us," Sesshoumaru snarled as InuYasha bucked, trying to free his arms.

"Sesshoumaru is not joking Kagome . . ." Kouga added, his own teeth gritted as he literally kneeled on the arm he was holding, trying desperately to keep it pinned to the ground. Kagome stared down at the struggling hanyou, searching her mind for any possible idea. Only one thought came to mind . . . no matter his form, she did not believe InuYasha would ever harm her. She only hoped her faith him turned out to be justified.

In a move that had Kouga and even the usually unemotional Sesshoumaru staring at her in shock, Kagome sat on InuYasha's chest after removing the Tetsusiaga, her legs straddling his body, her hands reaching out to gently bracket his face so that he met her eyes with his own.

InuYasha glared up at her and snarled, his fangs flashing dangerously in the filtered light. Kagome instinctively snarled back at him, baring her own teeth at him in a mockery of his. Sesshoumaru, watching closely, could not help but be slightly amused by her actions, his amber eyes glowing with faint humor as she unconsciously reacted to InuYasha as any female youkai would when their mate was endangering himself needlessly.

Kagome leaned down, keeping InuYasha's eyes locked with her own as she slowly moved one hand to trace the stripes on his face, brushing the skin lightly with her fingertips. InuYasha shivered beneath her, his eyes losing the murderous glare. Moving carefully, she trailed her fingers up his face to gently rub one ear between thumb and finger, massaging the soft fur and delicate flesh with a feather light touch. His breath caught mid-growl and he sighed, his body relaxing beneath her.

She nodded gently to Kouga and Sesshoumaru, who carefully released InuYasha's arms, stepping back quickly as he sat upright all of a sudden, dislodging Kagome from her perch upon his chest. His arms wrapped around her tightly, and Kagome shivered as he breathed against her neck, just before his tongue gently caressed the pulse just underneath the skin. She giggled and blushed, sensing that Sesshoumaru and Kouga were still standing quite nearby.

"InuYasha?" she called softly. One fluffy white ear flicked towards her, and she thought she heard a muffled response. "InuYasha . . . mate . . . umm . . ." She jumped slightly as she felt teeth lightly grate over her skin, followed by a very warm, slightly wet tongue. "InuYasha, stop that!" This time, his reply was clear as he rested his head gently on her shoulder.

"Why?" he growled softly, pulling her hips into his own with his hands firmly about her waist. She could feel her face heating up at that very sexual action, and she struggled to find her voice to reply.

"Inu . . . we have an audience, you baka!"

"Feh! You are my mate . . . what do they care what we do?"

"INUYASHA!" she squeaked, as he pulled her hips closer to his, to the point where they were almost brushing. "I should never have removed that . . . damn . . . NECKLACE!" she managed to get out, as his hands began to wander up her shirt. She glanced down at him, moving to stop his hands . . . and her blue/grey eyes met laughing golden ones. "Why . . . you . . ." she growled, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she realized he'd been playing his return to control off for the last few minutes. InuYasha grinned at her, knowing he was probably going to get his ears yanked out once she got over being stunned.

He was surprised when she pushed away from him to stand on her feet, turning her back to him. He suddenly smelled tears, and levered himself to his feet, only to be confronted by a very angry Kagome when she spun back around to face him.

"Damn it InuYasha . . . I've been worried sick about you! Where were you?! Why did you run away from me?!" She fell silent for a moment before whispering a question that pained him more than he could ever have imagined mere words would.

"Why don't you trust me?"

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - Okay my loving readers, here's another question for you . . . what else do you want to see? Or is it time I moved on? I've been looking at my story, and all I could think of was 'wow . . . this things had more loops and twists than a roller coaster'. So, give me some ideas . . . have I tortured Inu and Kagome enough, or are you thirsty for more? Give me some ideas . . . I'm working on coming up with some as well. Till then, take care all, and my best to all of you. Keep reading and writing . . . it makes the world go round, after all : )

  
  


  
  



	24. Bonded

Disclaimer : I don't own InuYasha or any of it's characters. I do, however, own my Zippo and the plotline of this story, so there.

  
  


Author's Note : Well, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and/or reported the plagarism. The story has since been removed from FF.net. I hate to do it to someone who was new to fanfiction, but plagarism by anyone is wrong, no matter how young and inexperienced.

Now, as a present to my reviewers, here is an extra long, complete chapter for your reading pleasure. Don't forget to review when you are done . . . and as always, you have my biggest thanks for your support and love. You guys are great, every single one of you.

Oh . . . and no worries yet about the story ending. I still have loose ends to tie up, so there will be at least three to four more chapters, I'm sure : ) So keep enjoying : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 14 - Bonded

  
  


InuYasha could only stare at Kagome, his golden eyes wide with confusion and sorrow. How could Kagome think he didn't trust her? He trusted her with his life . . . his very soul! His thoughts were brought to a halt as she began to speak again.

"You run from me every time something like that happens. Do you think I don't understand? Maybe I don't, not totally, but . . . god damn it, InuYasha, I love you! Why won't you let me help you with this? Do you think I'm not strong enough . . . that I can't handle it? I'm your MATE! I accept everything about you . . . including that demon side that you are so afraid of! I KNOW you would never hurt me! Can't you at least trust me to know what's in my heart!?" She sobbed, hugging herself as she turned her back to him again. "Or maybe you're wishing now that we weren't mated . . . I don't know anymore. If that is what you are thinking, then talk to Sesshoumaru. He can tell you everything you need to know." With that, she walked away, striding determinedly back towards the village, wiping her tears from her face angrily.

"That damn . . . obnoxious . . . BAKA!" she growled, her eyes glued to the ground before her as she walked. "Why can't he just trust me? He always runs away . . . I can understand why he's afraid of himself . . . hell, I'm slightly afraid of him when he's like that . . . but for crying out loud, why can't he just let me help him?" She was unaware of Shippo until she felt his presence on her shoulder.

"Kagome . . ." he began hesitantly, then stopped. He still didn't understand everything that had been going on . . . nobody would tell him, and when he asked they told him he was still too young to fully comprehend it.

"Yes Shippo?" Kagome murmured.

"Why are you so mad at InuYasha? Did he hurt you?" Kagome laughed slightly at this, her tone bitter.

"Only my heart, Shippo. Only my heart." She paused before continuing. "InuYasha and I are mated now, Shippo . . . but he still doesn't accept that I'm stronger then he thinks I am. He doesn't think I can handle his demon side . . . and he's afraid of it hurting me."

"InuYasha would NEVER hurt you Kagome . . . not in that way."

"I know that Shippo . . . but I don't think he does. And that hurts . . . it hurts my heart. There's nothing I can do about it, which is what makes it worse." They fell to silence, walking slowly through the sun speckled forest.

  
  


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InuYasha stared off after Kagome long after she had dissapeared from his sight. He started when his brother, who still stood nearby, broke the silence.

"She is right, you know. You do not trust her with all of what you are. That is no way to take a mate." He turned to move off, only to find InuYasha in front of him.

"What did she mean, to talk to you if I was thinking I no longer wanted her as my mate? Talk to me, you arrogant bastard. What don't I know?" Sesshoumaru looked at him solemnly for a moment before answering.

"Answer me this first, dearest brother of mine . . ." he said finally, with just a note of sarcasm. "Do you intend to make her your mate? And trust her with everything you are . . . both demon and human?" InuYasha snorted, crossing his arms across his chest.

"She already is my mate." Sesshoumaru sighed, holding onto his patience with his hanyou brother by a thin thread.

"No, she is not. She is your claimed . . . your mate - to - be. You are not mated yet. You have mated, yes, but you are not mated to her." He shook his head. "The girl was right . . . about many things. You know nearly nothing about your heritage." He noticed InuYasha's rather pointed glare at him, and his golden eyes narrowed back. "Yes, I realize I am at fault in that . . . the young miko . . . Kagome, already made that point to me." InuYasha's eyes widened as his brother admitted that he had a fault . . . and that he had been talking to Kagome.

"When did you talk with Kagome?" he murmured. Sesshoumaru snorted softly.

"She and I had a . . . discussion . . . just yesterday. When you disappeared." He shifted his stance, then came to a decision. "You still have not answered my question."

"I would have no other, Sesshoumaru. I love her . . . with all the human heart my mother gave me." 

"Then we have much to discuss. Follow." Sesshoumaru began to walk slowly into the forest. Growling in annoyance, InuYasha followed.

  
  


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The moon rose, full and clear in the black velvet of the night sky, the stars glittering coldly against the backdrop of black. Kagome swam silently in the still pond, her thoughts clear for the first time in days. She had not seen InuYasha at all since the clearing . . . she wasn't sure whether she was happy or sad at that fact. She flipped over onto her back, floating there gently as she stared up at the night sky.

"I love him so much . . . what if he's changed his mind?"

"What if I didn't?" Kagome sputtered and went under as InuYasha's voice startled her. She rose back to the surface, gasping for breath as she flipped her hair back out of her face. She was just in time to catch a flash of white as InuYasha dove into the water as well. Her face flushed as she noticed his clothes on the bank of the pool . . . meaning he was just as bare as she was. She squeaked as she felt him brush by her leg before he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into his water slicked chest. She sighed and relaxed, feeling his heart beating against her shoulder blades.

"You didn't answer me, Kagome. What if I didn't change my mind?" he whispered, his face in her hair as he inhaled her scent.

"Then I would still love you just the same . . . and be very relieved," she replied softly, before squirming around until she faced him. His golden eyes were nearly molten with desire and love, and she whimpered softly as he bent down to capture her lips with his own. She melted against him, feeling his arms tighten around her, bringing her closer to him. He broke the kiss gently, leaning his forehead against her own as he stared into her eyes.

"Do you still want me, Kagome? Or did I break any chance I had at happiness with you by my side?"

"You baka . . . I can not live without you. I love you too much . . . I would die were anything to happen to you," she whispered. "I want nothing more then to be with you . . . always."

They swam back to shore slowly, stopping when their feet hit soil. They faced each other, unashamed at their lack of clothing for the first time since they had originally mated.

"This will hurt for a bit, Kagome . . . and it may disgust you . . . having to drink my blood, I mean," he started, only to be silenced when Kagome placed a finger on his lips.

"InuYasha . . . I'll admit it's a little freaky, but I'm not disgusted. It's a part of you . . . and as for the pain, I've dealt with worse." She gathered her hair up silently, baring an expanse of neck and shoulder. Looking up at him calmly, she lay a gentle hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating. "I want this . . . more than life itself." 

"Than I, InuYasha, an inu-hanyou of the house of the West, wish for you to be my mate . . . to live your life by my side, never to be seperated by distance or time. What I have is yours for the asking . . . I shall be your protector, your provider, your love for as long as we both shall live. I bind my soul, my heart, and my life to you with this act. Will you, Kagome, have me?"

"I, Kagome Higurashi, of the Higurashi clan of the Sunset Shrine, do accept thee, InuYasha, as my mate. I will remain at your side, never to be seperated by distance or time. All that I have, all that I am, I give to you freely, to do with as you will. I shall be your strength, your heart, your love for as long as we both shall live. I give to you my soul, my heart, and my life with this act and accept all that you give me in return. I would have no other."

Sighing in relief, InuYasha drew back slightly, bringing a hand up over his heart. He winced slightly as he drew a claw over the flesh, opening a deep gash that bled freely.

Kagome's eyes fastened on that wound, the blood black in the night air against the smooth expanse of his chest. It drew her . . . she stepped closer to him, her eyes locked upon it.

"Then take of my blood and be bonded with me, heart of my heart, life of my life. Let none come between us with this act," InuYasha whispered. He started as Kagome hesitantly licked at the wound, her tongue warm against the skin cooled by the night air. His head fell back in ecstasy when her mouth closed over it, gently pulling the blood from the wound. It was like nothing he had experience before . . . there was a dark eroticism to her taking in his blood that he couldn't ignore.

Murmuring a soft apology in her ear, he opened a similiar wound on her neck before bending to lap at it gently. There was a jolting sensation as he took in her blood and he closed his mouth over the flesh, drawing her essence into himself. He could feel his youki reaching out to wrap around her, just as her miko energy was wrapping around him, merging together to create one united being.

Suddenly, like a starburst in his head, he could feel her in his mind, her love and joy brushing over his mind like a feather against his skin. He returned it, reaching out to her mentally so that she could feel his overwhelming love and protection of her. He felt her sigh against his chest, relaxing still further into his arms as she released the wound he had made, pressing her cheek against his flesh as she felt him in her mind. He cast a final flick of his tongue over the wound in her neck, feeling it close with a bit of surprise. Had this bond done more than just mentally link them?

They stood there for some time, lost in the feel of each other both physically and mentally, as the moon cast a benevolent light over the couple still standing in the water.

Sesshoumaru sighed from his place not far from where he watched over the silent pair. Kouga also stood nearby, having left his shards back in his cave so that Kagome would not be able to sense him. He sighed slightly, shifting against the tree he leaned on, staring absently at the oblivious couple.

"Mourning your loss of the young miko?" Sesshoumaru murmured. Kouga snorted.

"She was never mine . . . she's always been his in her heart. I've just been deluding myself," he replied quietly. "InuYasha has always been willing to give his life for her . . . I am just glad he finally admitted it. I hated to see Kagome in any pain . . . and he has caused her much of that."

"Yes . . . he is a rather stubborn hanyou, isn't he," Sesshoumaru answered wryly. "She will be good for him . . . she is well worthy of the honor."

"And what exactly are you doing here? I thought you hated him," Kouga asked quietly. Sesshoumaru snorted softly before leaping from his perch to land silently nearby.

"I did. But the young miko has made me respect her many a time . . . and coupled with . . . other things, has made me realize that not all humans are as useless and weak as I had originally thought. She would give anything for a friend . . . even her life, if it was necessary. I needs must respect that . . . and she is rather a delightful human to talk with as well. Her influence has made me rethink many things . . . including my rather misplaced hatred of InuYasha." He turned to walk silently away, the wolf demon following him, leaving the newly mated couple to their peace. Both feared it would not last long.

  
  


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Kagome and InuYasha returned to Kagome's hut later that evening, still lost in the newly formed bond between them. Settling inside, they quickly fell into bed, the exhaustion of the past couple of days finally catching up with them. InuYasha lay on his back with Kagome tucked up to his side, her head resting on his chest. Sighing, he ran a clawed hand lightly through her hair as he contemplated how to begin what he wished to say.

"Kagome . . ." he began softly.

"Yes, Inu?" she replied, shifting slightly to look up at him. A hand on her head stopped her.

"I do trust you . . . it is myself that I don't trust. I'm so scared of that side of me . . . but I think you are right. I don't think that side of me would ever hurt you. I lost control during that fight with Kouga . . . but I know why. I felt threatened . . . threatened that Kouga would take my heart from me, that I would lose you. That side of me came out to protect you . . . which means that it would never harm you. I know that now . . . I'm just sorry that I didn't realize it before. You're my light, Kagome . . . my heart . . . I couldn't bear to lose you. And I think that side of me knows that as well as I do . . . it is a part of me, after all. I just . . . I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you," she whispered, her arm draped across his stomach tightening slightly.

"It's only the truth, Kagome. I love you . . . and I will never let you go, not now, not ever." His arms tightened around her slightly. "We still have to face Naraku . . . and I don't want him trying to do with us what he did before. We have to trust each other completely . . . I think I understand that now, and accept it. I do trust you . . . with everything."

"As I do you, InuYasha. With everything." Sighing, relaxed in each other's presence, the young miko and her hanyou drifted off into peaceful dreams, watched over by a benevolent moon and the silent stars.


	25. The Healing of a Heart

Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. But, I can wish, right?

  
  


Author's Notes - Here it is, another chapter for all my adoring (and slightly rabid) fans : ) Giving the gang a rest a little bit from the roller coaster ride . . . time to deal with the emotional stuff rather than the physical for a little bit, thus another slightly angsty chapter. Of course, I've chosen a different target for the next two chapters . . . not settling so much on Inu and Kagome, but on the others now. So, enjoy, review, and tell me what you think.

Oh, and for those of you who wondered where I came up with the mating ritual . . . my own little head. I have a slight . . . umm . . . 'infatuation' I guess you could call it - with vampires. The blood, to me, is the ultimate symbol of life . . . and it seemed appropriate that for a race as blood thirsty and vicious as youkai are, a tie that would bond them together would involve an exchange of that vital fluid. *shrug* Just my two scents, but there's how I came up with the mating ritual. As for the words . . . don't know where they came from, they just popped up. Then again, I wrote the wedding vows my husband and I exchanged, so it could have come from there too. At any rate, I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it.

And now, on with the story.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 15 - The Healing of a Heart

  
  


Several days later, Kagome and InuYasha returned through the well from Kagome's time after a visit to her family. InuYasha leapt out of the well, Kagome's pack over his shoulder. Kagome climbed over the edge moments later, and promptly stumbled over something. Glancing down, she gasped in horror.

"InuYasha!" she cried, as she knelt next to the prone figure. InuYasha turned towards her from where he had landed, and his own eyes widened at the sight. Kagome had tripped over the prone form of his half-brother. She currently knelt by his head, brushing the silver hair back to get a look at his face.

"He's unconscious," she told him as he walked up to her. "It looks like he took quite a beating."

"Feh," InuYasha snorted, staring down at the prone form. He could smell a lot of blood . . . which wasn't a good sign. There was another scent there too . . . one mixed in with the blood that he didn't recognize. Sighing, he handed Kagome her pack and picked up the unmoving youkai lord, slinging him carefully over his shoulder. Kagome could only smile gently at his back as she slung her pack over her shoulder and followed him towards the village. It seemed everyone had done a lot of growing up lately.

She could only grin widely at that thought. She and InuYasha had finally cleared everything up between them, Sango and Miroku were finally starting to admit their feelings for each other, Kouga finally understood that Kagome was not going to be his . . . and now InuYasha and his enigmatic half-brother seemed to be getting along a bit better. Amazing how much good a truly horrible group of events could do.

  
  


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Sesshoumaru groaned, opening his eyes slowly as the pain in his limbs receded to allow him clear thought. He stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling in confusion . . . where in the seven hells was he? Movement off to his right attracted his attention, and he turned golden eyes to regard the source warily. He was hard pressed not to jump to his feet in shock.

Kagome was slowly moving about the hut, cleaning up medical supplies that lay scattered about the hut. She glanced over at her patient after a moment, and gasped when her blue eyes met with his now open ones.

"Oh . . . you're awake," she murmured. Placing the stuff she held in her hands down carefully, she walked over to him softly to sit near the futon he rested on. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" he asked, ignoring her question. Kagome sighed. He was just like his brother sometimes.

"In the village . . . in our hut, to be exact. We found you by the well almost a full day ago, unconscious." She shifted slightly. "Mind telling me what happened? And where Rin and that toad servant of yours might be?" Sesshoumaru turned his eyes back to the ceiling in silent contemplation. He was slightly confused, a feeling he did not welcome. Why had they brought him here? They couldn't possibly care whether or not he died . . . after all, he was a youkai lord, and had been their enemy up until recently. So, why had they cared for him? An annoyed growl from Kagome had him looking back at her.

"Are you going to answer me, or am I going to have to have InuYasha try to beat it out of you? Fair enough, it wouldn't be much of a fight in your current condition, but I hate being ignored." Sesshoumaru sighed before answering.

"There was a youkai . . . after Rin. I believe it was sent by Naraku. In any case, it is dead now. Rin should still be with Jakken in the cave we've been living in for the last month."

"Oh. Well, mind giving me directions so InuYasha can go retrieve them? You aren't going to be going anywhere anytime soon." Sesshoumaru growled softly and began to attempt to get up, only to find a firm hand placed on his chest . . . a chest that he only now noticed was missing his armor and kimono. The only thing currently adorning his skin was a wide bandage. He was surprised to find that the hand restraining him apparently was working, because he couldn't move. "You really are as stubborn as your brother. I said you're not going anywhere anytime soon, and you're not. Whatever poison was in those wounds will take time, and it's slowed your healing process' to a human rate. You're going to be in bed for a few days yet, so you might as well stop the stubborn all powerful youkai lord act and let us help you."

Sesshoumaru finally lay back, admitting to himself at least that the young miko was right. He did not feel up to anything at this point . . . a feeling he did not appreciate in the slightest. He was the Lord of the Western Lands, for gods sake! Since when was he at the mercy of a human!? Of course, considering who the specific human was currently, he couldn't really say he was surprised. The girl's powers were maturing rapidly . . . she would be a very powerful miko eventually, if she wasn't already. Sighing, he decided that he had best answer her. At least Rin would be safe in the village.

"About a day's travel to the west is where the cave is," he finally replied. "She and Jakken should be there." Kagome nodded and stood, stepping out the door for a moment before returning.

"InuYasha is on his way to get them. Now . . . why, of all places, were you at the well?"

"To be honest, I have no memory of it. I remember the fight, and my wish to return to the cave. After that, everything is a blur." Kagome nodded thoughtfully at his reply.

"Hmm . . . it seems the poison was working fast then. It's a good thing we found you when we did . . . you could be dead by now otherwise." As much as he hated to admit it, the young miko was right. He could feel the weakness in his limbs, and knew instinctively that he had barely been alive when they had found him. He owed them his life . . . it was a rather uncomfortable feeling. Kagome began cleaning again, aware of thoughtful golden eyes following her movement.

Sesshoumaru watched her absently, his mind turning over current events in his head. He'd had very little time to himself for thought lately . . . meaning he still did not understand why he felt prone to suddenly helping this young miko and his annoying half-brother. He was forced to admit, finally, that the girl intrigued him immensely . . . and that his feelings towards his brother were changing as well.

"Girl," he said finally, to attract her attention. In reply, she turned towards him and put her hands on her hips in a decidedly annoyed manner.

"My name is Kagome. Gods, why is it that you males seem to have such difficulty remembering my name? Miroku seems to be the only one who can remember . . . it must be all that youkai blood."

"Kagome then . . . why did you assist me?" Kagome sighed and sat down beside him on the futon, her eyes examining the wall across from her.

"Well . . . we owe you, first of all. For your help against Naraku . . .rescuing me and helping me get InuYasha back from his demon side. That, and your help with the mating ritual. Neither of us knew about it. You've . . . well, maybe you haven't changed, but I'd like to think you have. Maybe it's because I just can't understand your relationship with InuYasha . . . but you seem to be different now. And we're allies now, if not friends. We'll need you by our side when we go to fight Naraku. Besides . . . you were hurt badly. I couldn't just leave you there." Sesshoumaru could only stare at her, struggling within himself. She truly was a beautiful creature, both physically and spiritually . . . InuYasha was lucky to have her. If things could have been different . . .

Kagome nearly jumped in shock when she felt a clawed hand delicately trace down her face before it came to rest on her shoulder. She turned to look at the youkai lord, her blue eyes locking with his own golden ones in confusion.

"Sesshoumaru?" she whispered. He sat up slowly, never removing his hand with it's delicate stripes around his wrists. Giving in to an impulse that he was somehow helpless to shrug off, he brought her closer to him, claiming her lips in a gentle, chaste kiss. It broke just as suddenly as it had started, and he sat, staring at her, as she got herself back under control. She touched her lips absently before raising questioning blue eyes to his own. He couldn't answer the questions that shone there . . . he couldn't even answer his own.

"Thank you . . ." he whispered finally. "For showing me . . . a different way of life." He lay back slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. She smiled gently, an expression that warmed his heart in a way that he had not felt in a long time.

"Don't mention it," she murmured. "After all, you're family to me now. If you truly want to thank me . . . try to repair the relationship you could have with InuYasha. I still don't understand . . . why the two of you hate each other so." He could hear the unasked question in her voice. Sighing, he decided perhaps it was time to tell someone the evil's he had harbored in his mind and heart for so long.

"Our father . . . was a great inu-youkai. He was very powerful . . . a great lord of the Western Lands. My mother . . . was simply one out of hundreds of youkai that sought his attention and power. She left not long after I was born. Youkai females are not terribly faithful, and she was never claimed as mate to our father. She moved on - leaving me behind. It was several years after that when InuYasha's mother caught our father's eye. She was very kind to me . . . she treated me as a son, something I had never experienced. But then, she had InuYasha. Suddenly, her attention, and my father's, was turned towards this new addition in the family. I was jealous . . . and in my rage, I tried to kill the babe." Kagome gasped at this, her blue eyes wide in horror. Sesshoumaru continued softly. 

"Our father . . . banished me into the care of the servants after that. The servants could only whisper about the human and the hanyou tainting our bloodline . . . and I came to blame them for my exile. I slowly began to believe the things the servants said. Then, our father died, defending her. My rage and hatred grew . . . I blamed them for his death. I was . . . seventeen at the time. As the new lord, I banished them from the castle, wishing never to see them again. After that, I never thought of them again. It wasn't until many years later that I learned my half-brother was still alive and seeking the Shikon No Tama." He sighed before turning to face her again. "I am sure . . . that InuYasha blames me for his mother's death. And in a way, he is right. Indirectly, by denying her the protection of the castle, I was the cause for it."

Kagome startled him by reaching out to gently trace the stripes on his face with one delicate fingertip. He stared up at her, his eyes wide in surprise as her own flooded with unshed tears.

"So many misunderstandings . . ." she murmured. "I think . . . that the two of you really need to talk. It's the only way . . . that any of this will get cleared up. And it needs to get done . . . before we face Naraku. The two of you will have to trust each other . . . and the rest of us . . . if we're going to have any chance at beating him." Silently, she stood, moving away from the bed quietly. Stepping to the door, she turned to look at him. "Rest now . . . I'll send Inu in when he gets back. Oh . . . and Sesshoumaru? I don't blame you . . . at so young an age it is hard to understand when you suddenly find yourself no longer the sole gem in your parent's eyes. I know . . . I went through something much like it when my brother was born."

Sesshoumaru could only stare after her as she disappeared out the door. She understood how he had felt? That human girl . . . who was so full of life and light, could harbor such darkness? He continued to ponder that thought for many hours afterwards, his golden eyes locked on the ceiling above.

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN : Ah yes, another angsty, no action, all emotion chapter. Don't worry, there will be more action coming soon . . . there are still quite a few loose ends to tie up before I can say 'finis'. So, plenty more reading to come. Hope you all enjoyed, and please, don't forget to review. I love reading them, and I've actually gotten quite a few ideas from them. Adds more fuel to my writing fire.

Hehe . . . I just had to torture Sess some more . . .*giggles insanely*


	26. Family Bonds

Disclaimer - I don't own em. Nuff said.

  
  


Author's Notes - I realize this chapter is a bit shorter than usual . . . I do apologize. It's been a very busy week, full of house guests and very little time to write. So, I hope you will all forgive.

As for Sesshoumaru kissing Kagome . . . I have no idea, honestly. It just came out. I guess you could say it sort of shows his confusion about what he's currently going through. Anyway, this chapter might help explain that a bit. To those who were worried, this is not going to become an Kag/Sess fic . . . . I'm too hard core Inu/Kag to do that. Sess is just very confused right now, and Kagome understands this. At any rate, read and enjoy. And don't forget to review.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 16 - Family Bonds

InuYasha returned to the village, Rin riding on his back, squealing happily as he leaped over the ground in short jumps. He winced as one particular squeal sounded right in his ears, but didn't growl at her to keep it down. It had taken him a while to get her to trust him enough to even come with him . . . and he'd had to knock that annoying toad out to do it. Damn Jakken . . . arguing with him that Sesshoumaru would NEVER have sent his brother to retrieve them. Hopefully that fist to the head would jar some brains into the stupid little servant.

Arriving at the village, he gently lifted Rin to the ground, setting her on her feet carefully so she could walk the rest of the way.

"Rin thanks InuYasha for the ride. Rin had a lot of fun," the little girl chirped, skipping merrily before him into the village.

"It was nothing, Rin," InuYasha replied. "I'm glad you had fun." Under his breath, he added "Although my ears are certainly going to suffer from it for a while." His golden eyes lit with pleasure as Kagome came into view, just coming out from their hut. She waved to him cheerfully as she spied him, waiting patiently for him to join her.

His heart leapt at the warmth of her smile and the wave she directed towards him. Gods, what had he ever done to deserve her love? His mate . . . his light and life - Kagome. How could he have ever thought to go with Kikyo to hell and turn his back on her? Thank all the gods above that he had come to his senses. In a way, he supposed he should thank the bandits that had started the whole mess . . . had they not attacked them and taken Kagome, he would probably never have gotten the guts to tell her. And, in the long run, he supposed he had to thank Naraku for his part in it . . . after he killed that spineless bastard, that was. Reaching Kagome, he enveloped her in a huge hug, lifting her off her feet as he pressed her to him.

Kagome returned the embrace, her arms catching around his neck as she squeaked slightly when her feet left the ground. She giggled as she felt his arms tighten around her before he growled softly into her neck.

"You smell of my brother, my mate. But underneath, I can still catch the scent of us. How is he?" InuYasha asked, setting her back on her feet before putting her at arms length to look at her. He still wasn't sure how to react to this 'new' Sesshoumaru . . . he was too used to his older half-brother trying to kill him and take Tetsusiaga. This was 'a whole new ball game' as Kagome occasionally said. He was glad he'd had her explain that saying to him . . . it fit the current turn of events rather well. Kagome sighed before answering him.

"He's healing . . . but he's confused, as well. I think . . . that he's suddenly discovering discrepancies in the way he's viewed the world - and after living gods only know how many years with that specific mind set, suddenly finding them changing so unexpectedly has left him at a loss. But . . . this gives you a chance to mend whatever lies between the two of you. Please, InuYasha . . . talk to him. Just try . . . try to become brothers again, and not enemies." InuYasha sighed, but nodded. He would do anything if Kagome ever asked it of him . . . he supposed he could at least ATTEMPT this. Hugging her gently one last time, he stepped around her, and approached the hut with a great amount of trepidation.

  
  


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InuYasha stepped into the hut slowly, allowing his eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting before moving further. His brother lay on the futon they had set up for him, his golden eyes staring absently at the roof above him. He appeared to be deep in thought . . . and just as confused and lost as Kagome had said.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." he began, before pausing, unsure of how to continue. They had never talked before . . . not outside of battle, at any rate. And usually, that talking had been throwing random curses and insults as they tried to kill each other. 

"InuYasha . . ." Sesshoumaru replied quietly. He sighed suddenly, before his golden eyes turned to meet the near-identical ones of his hanyou brother. "Your mate is an amazing woman. I envy you." InuYasha's eyes widened at that statement. Sesshoumaru envied him - for Kagome?

"I almost lost her . . . if you hadn't talked to me that day, I would have continued to stay away from her. I . . . owe you, I guess," InuYasha finally replied, moving to settle on the floor near the futon, Tetsusiaga resting against his shoulder.

"Yes . . . but in the end, you made the smart move. Something I seem to have never done in my life thus far." InuYasha snorted at that.

"While I'm not exactly inclined to say it, Sesshoumaru, you have made a few. Calling that truce would be top of my list . . . and helping Kagome and I. I doubt we would be where we are now if you hadn't done as you did - and Naraku could very well have taken Kagome that day if you hadn't stepped in." He sighed, turning to meet Sesshoumaru's eyes. "Why . . . why did you hate my mother and I so much? She would have been safe . . . if you hadn't . . ."

"Hadn't denied you the protection of the castle. Yes, I know . . . but at the time, I did not care. I was jealous of you, InuYasha . . . jealous of the love you had from both parents, when I had only our father's. And even he turned away from me when you were born." Sesshoumaru growled softly under his breath, struggling to rise into a sitting position. He attained it finally, leaning back against the wall with a sigh of relief. "I was young . . . and foolish. It does not make up for what I did . . . or the loss you suffered and the life you led . . . but I would still like to say that I am sorry . . . my brother." His dark golden eyes met InuYasha's warily, his shoulders hunching as he awaited the condemnation he was sure was coming.

"Kagome . . . has done a lot to make me see things differently from how I used to. I can't say that I can forget what you did . . . but I can try to understand and forgive you for it. She . . . wants us to get along. For her . . . I'm willing to give it a shot if you are," InuYasha said, trying not to grin at his brother's shocked expression. He shrugged instead. "What can I say, Sesshoumaru? Kagome is an amazing, bright, warm-hearted woman. I think she could even melt Naraku's heart . . . if he had one, that is." Sesshoumaru could only smile slightly at that.

"I would have to agree with you, InuYasha. Had things been different . . ." his voice faded into silence. InuYasha looked at him speculatively for a moment, before a nagging thought he'd had earlier came back to him.

"Is there something you want to tell me, brother?" InuYasha asked quietly, his eyes never leaving the youkai lord's face. He was startled when a slight blush graced his half-brother's face. Finally, Sesshoumaru sighed, and spoke softly.

"She is an amazing human . . . and I find that she is one of the few that I respect. Had things been different . . . and I not so stubborn, as she put it . . . she would be my mate, not yours." InuYasha growled softly at this, drawing his brother's eyes to his face. "Be at ease, InuYasha. I will make no move for your mate . . . I kissed her, nothing more. It was no more than a second or two, and very chaste. I suspect had I done anything that had offended her, she could easily have taken care of it." He turned his eyes back to the ceiling above. "But . . . I will protect her as if she was my mate . . . she is family now, after all. Be assured of that, hanyou. I value her life as much as you do . . . even if she is a human." InuYasha's growl lessened slightly, fading off until it was no more than a subsonic rumbling in his chest.

"Just . . . don't . . . do it . . . again," he ground out, his teeth clenched together tightly.

"Trust me . . . I will not. I have no desire to break this rather tenuous new relationship we have discovered . . . indeed, we will need everything to defeat Naraku." InuYasha sighed finally, releasing the tension his brother's admission had caused. He still found himself riled over it . . . but if Kagome had not reacted to it, then neither would he. It was the least he could do.

To Be Continued


	27. What Lies Beneath the Surface

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters of InuYasha. However, I do hope to soon own my very own Inu doll : ) YIPPEE!

  
  


Author's Notes - Thanks go out to all of you for the kind words of understanding over the delay. So, to all of you, here it is . . . the next chapter in Starlight and Shadows, extra long. Plenty of fluff in this one, so be sure to grab something to wash the sugar from your teeth. Due to many requests and questions, this one is mostly centered on Sango and Miroku at first . . . as well as tying up some loose ends before the final chapters. Hope you all enjoy : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 17 - What Lies Beneath the Surface

  
  


Sango lay underneath the Goshinboku tree, staring up into the night sky silently, Kirara purring lightly on her lap. It had been a rough couple of months for everyone in the group . . . but things seemed to be working out for the better, none the less. She sighed, shifting to run her hand absently over the boomerang at her side.

"Miroku . . ." she murmured, her voice whispering quietly in the still night air. She wondered again where he had disappeared to . . . all he had said was that he needed to go purify himself. She knew, somehow, that it was more than that though . . . something was troubling the houshi, and she was sorely curious as to what it was. Since professing their love for each other by the stream that day, they had rarely been far apart. Admittedly, he hadn't slowed down a bit in his more lecherous pursuits, but at least she was the only woman he directed them to. An ache in her heart and her stomach told her exactly what was on her mind . . . being so close to him, but not being able to do anything more than kiss was starting to wear them down emotionally and physically. 

She understood his position, and had even agreed with him . . . until now. After seeing Kagome and InuYasha together - and how blissfully happy they were - she wanted the same . . . and she wanted that with Miroku. But the houshi refused to take that next step . . . he did not want to end up leaving her with more of a burden than she already carried.

So, here she was, trying to think of some way to make it clear to him that she didn't care about any of that anymore . . . she just wanted to be with him, in every way a woman and a man could be. To hell with if she ended up carrying his child before they defeated Naraku . . . if she even lived through killing Naraku. There were no guaranties for any of them there - not for InuYasha and Kagome, not for her, not for Miroku . . . not even for Sesshoumaru. 

"I don't want to die . . . never having experienced physical love," she murmured to Kirara, who merely raised her head and purred more loudly. She understood her mistress' pain . . . she herself had never taken a mate so that she could be by her beloved human's side always, but that had been her choice. But Sango was human, and female . . . and her love for Miroku was very obvious. She wished suddenly that she could speak, so she could advise her mistress . . . but that ability was denied her. So she settled on purring, and being as close to a comfort as she could.

"I . . . oh, Kirara, what should I do? I do not want him to think me too forward . . . but I want this, I want to be with him like that . . . at least once. Why can't he understand that even if one of us dies, or we fail to defeat Naraku . . . I want to have that memory to cherish forever in my heart? I want . . . I want to be married to him, now - not wait until after we face Naraku." She sighed again, the sound lonely in the silence of the night time forest.

"Sango?" Sango raised her head to look in the direction of Kagome's voice, her eyes brightening slightly as her adopted sister came into view. Kagome hesitated momentarily before crossing to kneel in front of the older girl, her bright eyes shadowed with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Kagome," Sango whispered, before finally sagging back against the tree trunk with a mournful breath of air. "No . . . I guess I'm not," she replied finally, her voice a mere whisper of air. Surprisingly, Kagome still heard her.

"Oh Sango . . . it's Miroku, isn't it? I thought you two were so happy together . . . what did that lech do now?" Sango hurried to correct her.

"No, no . . . Kagome, he didn't do anything . . . and that's the problem." Meeting Kagome's concerned gaze, she smiled softly. "It's been wonderful . . . but now I'm finding that I want more. But . . . we still have to face Naraku . . . any of us could die, or we could fail to kill him. Then where would we be? I thought I could understand that . . . even agree with it . . . but now, I just . . ." Her voice trailed off into silence. Kagome nodded, sitting back with a small, sad smile on her face.

"You want to just go through with it, and to hell with what may happen, don't you? Oh Sango, I understand so completely. All this time that I've been here, I was resigned to the fact that InuYasha would go to hell with Kikyo when this was all over, but I loved him anyway, wanting everything I could possibly get before I lost him. And now look at where we are . . . mated, finally . . . and I know he loves me now, and always has. It all came out for the best . . . and I think you and Miroku will be the same way. Tell him Sango . . . tell him how you feel and why. I'm sure he feels it just as much as you do . . . actually, knowing Miroku, he's probably in worse condition." Both girls giggled a little at that thought, before Sango sat back with a small smile of thanks.

"You know, Kagome . . . I think you are right. Thank you . . . little sister." Kagome grinned and punched her lightly on the arm.

"Hell, Sango . . . what kind of sister would I be if I didn't help you land the man of your dreams?" Sango snorted at that.

"He's hardly a dream man . . . but I don't care, I love him just the same." Standing slowly, the two girls made their way back to the village, chatting happily back and forth the whole way.

  
  


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Sango approached Miroku's hut later that evening with a great amount of trepidation. She wore her best kimono . . . and for once, did not wear her exterminator suit underneath. Outwardly, she was calm and collected . . . the very picture of the exterminator she had been brought up to be. On the inside, however, she was nervous as hell. She'd never had the chance to be 'just a woman' . . . she'd always been an exterminator. Her mother had died when she was very young . . . her father had been the one to raise her.

Hesitantly, she raised her fist to knock on the wall of Miroku's hut, and nearly stumbled back in surprise when the houshi stepped out before she could do so.

"Sango? Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned to find her standing on his doorstep.

"Uh . . . no. I . . . just wanted to talk to you. But, if you were busy . . ." she murmured, her cheeks stained red.

"Oh, no . . . I was just going to go for a walk. Please, come in." He stepped back into the hut, motioning for her to come inside. Sango stepped inside hesitantly, her nerves suddenly overwhelming, her stomach felt like it was in knots. She knelt beside the fire pit, across from Miroku, staring at her hands as they twisted together in her lap. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Miroku's hand suddenly covered them, hiding them from her sight and ceasing their nervous movement.

"Sango, what is wrong? You seem . . . unlike yourself," Miroku murmured. Sango raised her head slowly to look at him, taking in the concerned expression before sighing.

'As Kagome says . . . here goes nothing,' she thought to herself wryly.

"Miroku . . ." she began, and then paused, her nervousness suddenly catching up to her. Listening to Kagome's voice in her mind, she started again. "Miroku . . . I love you. You say you love me. I want . . ." Her tongue froze as she was about to say 'I want to be with you.' He would think her too forward, she just knew it. She wasn't like Kagome, she was brought up to believe that women should be docile around the man they wished to marry, not forward and demanding. She stood suddenly, overwhelmed. 'I can't . . . I just can't!' she thought. Spinning away from Miroku, she moved to leave the hut, only to trip as she moved too fast.

Sango found herself caught in a pair of strong arms, staring up into the startled eyes of Miroku, who had somehow managed to move fast enough to save her from a painful and humiliating fall. A look of intensity crossed his features as he returned her stare, before his lips brushed her in a gentle but firm kiss.

Sighing, Sango wrapped her arms around his neck, cupping the back of his head in one delicate hand, holding him to her as the kiss lengthened and deepened. Abruptly, Miroku pulled away with a gasp.

"No . . .I . . . we can't . . ." he breathed, taking deep breaths in an attempt to get himself back under control. From that kiss, Sango suddenly found the nerve she needed.

"Why not? Miroku . . . I know we both agreed that it would be best if we waited to see how the fight with Naraku ended . . . but I no longer care. I want . . . Just once, I want to know what it is like to be loved . . . physically as well as emotionally. Even if anything should happen . . . at least we will have that memory to hold within our hearts. Please . . ." she whispered finally, her eyes pleading. "Please . . . let me become a woman with you."

Miroku groaned at this, his eyes closing as if he was in pain.

"Sango . . . I don't want to leave you with . . ."

"With what? With the only possible connection I could have to you? You're willing to ask every beautiful woman you come across to bear your child . . . but you can't do that with me! Why!? What's wrong with me?" She pulled out of his arms, standing out of his reach, radiating anger, confusion, and hurt. She realized that she was shouting, that the entire village could probably hear them, but she no longer cared. Why couldn't this stupid baka get it through his stubborn, perverted head that she didn't care any more?! Her anger and hurt only flared brighter when he did not respond, merely staring at her with wounded eyes. "Gods damn you . . . I thought you loved me," she whispered finally, before turning to leave.

She gasped as she found herself suddenly spun back around and pressed into a rock hard chest. She had just enough time to look up into Miroku's eyes . . . before the breath left her as a searing kiss drove all thought from her brain. The kiss was unlike any other her and the houshi had shared . . . the others had been gentle, showering her with care and adoration as if she were a goddess to be worshiped. This . . . this was blatant sexuality, demanding and burning with passion as he ravaged her mouth.

"Don't you ever . . . doubt for a moment . . . that I love you," he growled, sounding very much like InuYasha at that moment. "I love you so much it hurts . . . it's been hurting since you told me that you loved me too. Sango . . . gods, do you know how much it's taken for me to control myself!? I just . . . I don't want to end up adding to that list of burdens that you carry . . ." Sango silenced him with a gentle kiss before pulling back to answer him.

"I would rather carry the burden of having lost you by tempering it with the knowledge that we had been together . . . as a man and a woman . . . then by mourning the loss of what we never had and never could have. Please, Miroku . . . please," she murmured. He sighed, and hugged her to him before pulling her back into a burning kiss, his hand releasing her hair so that he could thread his fingers through the black silkiness of it.

Across from the hut, InuYasha finally allowed his ears to come up from where they were flattened to his skull in an attempt to shield them from Sango's rather angry outburst. Kagome merely grinned at him before turning to enter their own hut. He followed slowly, inwardly glad that his two companions had finally come around to the right way of thinking.

Kagome cornered him as he entered the hut, surprising him by actually tackling him from behind. He grunted and spun to shield her from the fall, looking up at her curiously from the flat of his back as she grinned down at him.

"What was that for, woman?" he growled, before it dawned on him. Kagome should not have been able to knock him down . . . at all. "Kagome . . ." he began suspiciously, as she began to giggle slightly.

"I noticed it the other day . . . I've gotten stronger somehow. I think it's due to the blood bond . . . but I can't be sure. I just wanted to try it out on you." She sat back with a last giggle, before a rather malicious grin spread across her face. InuYasha began to attempt to inch his way out from under her when he spied that grin . . . Kagome grinning like that did not usually bode well for his well being. His suspicions were confirmed when her finger suddenly found his ribs, and began to tickle.

Kagome began to laugh outright as a most unmanly squeak issued forth from the hanyou as he began squirming to avoid her wriggling and wiggling fingers. Soon she had him gasping helplessly as he attempted to curl into a ball to protect his ribs, which in turn simply left other areas open to her attack. So immersed in this amusement was she that she never noticed Sesshoumaru step into the hut behind them until he coughed slightly.

She flushed as she clambered up off her mate, who was attempting to piece together as much of his dignity as he could in the face of such an . . . unfortunate guest. He growled as he stood, straightening his yukata with a rather suffering air before turning to his brother, who was attempting, of all things, to hide a smirk of amusement.

"Yes, oh brother of mine?" InuYasha growled, his arms crossed over his chest in a vain attempt at portraying manly solidity. Sesshoumaru coughed again, shooting a golden eyed glance towards Kagome, who was standing not far away, rolling her eyes at her mate. Schooling his face into as serious an expression as he could muster at the circumstances, he looked back towards his hanyou brother.

"I have been thinking about Naraku . . . the longer we allow him to brood, the better the plan he will come up with. We should move on him soon." InuYasha began to bristle at this . . . it sounded very much as if his brother was trying to take control of his 'pack'. Kagome moved up beside him, once again serious as she lay a gentle hand on InuYasha's arm, sending him a wave of calm through the mental link they had developed.

"We've been talking about that as well, Sesshoumaru. We wanted to make sure every one was at full abilities and InuYasha was no where near his moon night when we went to seek Naraku out. That's why we've waited so long . . . the New Moon is two days from now. After that, we'll be on the road and tracking that bastard down." Sesshoumaru nodded thoughtfully, eyeing InuYasha with something akin to respect.

"That is a good plan . . . I am surprised at you brother. No offence meant, but I had not thought you to be so well in control of you hot headedness." InuYasha growled, but replied softly.

"Amazing what such a wonderful mate as Kagome can do to you," he said, earning an approving nod from his brother and a loving hug from Kagome. "She's forced me to think before I act a lot more than I used to."

"What do you intend to do with the fox kit?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, fully aware that the object of his query was asleep in the next room.

"He's staying here," Kagome said firmly, before InuYasha could reply. Both brother's looked at her in abject surprise. "He's too young, and I need to be able to fully concentrate on the battle. It will be bad enough worrying about all my friends who are perfectly capable of handling themselves . . . as well as my mate . . . I don't need to be worrying about my adopted son as well." InuYasha sighed and pulled her into his embrace, hugging her to him in mute wonder. He'd been afraid he'd have to fight with her to get her to leave the kit behind . . . he was glad that she had already planned to do it without him having to say a word. That made his life a hell of a lot easier.

Sesshoumaru was surprised as well. Any time he had seen Kagome, the fox kit had been very close by, so much so that they seemed inseparable. The fact that Kagome was willingly going to leave the kit behind was definitely new. He came out of his thoughts as Kagome spoke again.

"Actually . . . I had a thought about that, Inu. I was thinking . . . that we could take Shippo - and Rin, if Sesshoumaru agrees - to my house through the well. My mother wouldn't mind, I'm sure . . . and you know my brother would love to meet Shippo." InuYasha looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his head.

"It's a good idea, Kagome. It will keep both of them safe from Naraku trying to manipulate us with them, and will keep Shippo from trying to follow us on his own . . . which you know damn well he'll try to do." Sesshoumaru spoke suddenly.

"I find it most acceptable. Kagome's mother must be an exceptional woman, to have raised such a daughter . . . I believe Rin will be more than safe under her care." Kagome grinned at the compliment before walking over to him and hugging him, startling him into stillness. Inu merely grinned at his brother's sudden inability to do anything.

Yup . . . Kagome was proving to be too much for even his brother to handle well. Was it any wonder that it had taken him so long to come around to admitting he loved her?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	28. Preperations

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha . . . nor did I win my plushie *sniffles sadly* But I do own my lighter, and every DVD that has come out in English so far : )

  
  


Author's Note - Wow . . . 500+ reviews . . . gods above, I think I'm stunned. This has turned into so much more than I ever expected it to . . . it's actually scary. 39 people with me on their favourite's list too . . . I think I'm going to faint! You guys are great, you really are : ) Well, here's another 'tying off loose ends and getting things in order' chapter . . . this one and the next should be the last ones, and then it's on to hunting Naraku! *cheers* Now, many of you have asked me to do another lemon . . . many with Sango and Miroku in it. To be honest, I hadn't planned on doing another lemon for the story . . . I didn't want the fic to become to citrusy. However, since so many of you asked for it . . . I will work on it. I might take me some time . . . but I think I will fit it in between last chapter and this one . . . you know, the cute Sango and Miroku scene where she finally gets up the nerve to approach him on it? I'll extend that a bit and add it to Starlight and Shadows Lemon Scenes . . . give me a couple of weeks though, lemons are not easy to write if you want them don't properly, and I refuse to write simple smut (at least, not for this story!) And now . . . on with Starlight and Shadows, before stuff starts getting thrown at me. (Hides behind Sephiroth and Malik in a vain attempt to continue writing . . . too bad the bishounen boys are going to keep me slightly . . . umm . . . preoccupied?)

  
  
  
  


Chapter 18 - Preparations

  
  


"NO! I don't want to go . . . I want to go with you! I can be useful, really I can! I helped against the Thunder Brothers, didn't I?" Shippo wailed as he clung to Kagome's leg like a burr. Kagome was adamant, however.

"You're not going Shippo. I'm going to have enough to worry about without throwing you into the mix . . . and you know as well as I do that Naraku will attempt to use you against us if he can. You're going to stay in my time with my mother, and that's final." Her tone of voice warned the little kit that if he continued the argument any further, he was going to find himself bound and gagged as he went through the well.

"You've become as bad as InuYasha . . ." he grumbled, releasing her leg as he went to sulk in a corner of the hut. Kagome simply sighed in exasperation before she turned back to her packing, preparing her back pack for the journey ahead. 

InuYasha smirked slightly from his own spot on the futon as he watched Kagome bustle about the hut gathering her supplies. As per Kagome's request, he'd allowed her to handle the argument with the kit, staying out of it entirely. It appeared Kagome had been right . . . had the order come from him, he would have ended up in a full blown shouting match with Shippo, but with it coming from Kagome, Shippo had only argued for a few moments before leaving to sulk in the corner.

Sesshoumaru was the lucky one . . . Rin had actually been excited at the thought of visiting her 'big sister Kagome's' home. He had merely had to mention it and the young girl had begun bouncing with joy. His smirk faded slightly as he thought of his brother. Their relationship was still on awkward ground . . . neither knowing how to suddenly put aside the years of hatred that had been between them. His smile returned slightly as he thought of how much Kagome had been involved in the healing between the two brothers. Sesshoumaru admired her greatly and listened to her with avid interest . . . and InuYasha loved her with every fibre of his being. With her adding to their conversations, they'd come to see and understand sides of each other that even they hadn't known existed.

He sighed as he felt one fingertip gently caress his ear as she passed by the futon on her way to some corner of the hut, his amber eyes following her lithe form. His Kagome . . . his mate. Gods, how he hated to admit it, but he was scared. Scared of what Naraku might do . . . scared of what might happen once the Shikon No Tama was whole again. What if he lost her . . . what if she was forced to go back to her own time? He shook his head abruptly as he sat up, pushing those thoughts from his mind with a concentrated effort. If it happened, there would be nothing he could do about it . . . nothing except try to find a way to be reunited with her again. He waved away Kagome's look of concern at his sudden movement, standing to step outside for a breath of fresh air.

He grinned as he spied Sango and Miroku making their own preparations, although neither one would go more than a few paces from the other. Sango was checking her boomerang for any cracks or flaws, while Miroku was deep into meditation . . . although InuYasha noticed it wasn't so deep that he couldn't take advantage of an unaware Sango bending over near him. He snickered as Sango shrieked in outrage and slapped the houshi, before leaning over to help him up, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Miroku himself was grinning like a loon, rubbing his cheek absently as his other hand moved in for another grope at the exterminator's round behind. Sango, however, saw him before he made contact, and quickly moved out of range, although not without a whispered "pervert" and a smile.

Kagome's head peeked out of the hut behind him at the commotion, and she shook her head and giggled slightly at the spectacle.

"He never gives up . . . even if she is going to be his wife. I don't think he'll ever change," she murmured, her blue-grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I don't think he could change, Kagome," InuYasha replied, before turning and hauling her out of the hut, one arm wrapped around her waist, holding tightly to his side as he lay a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Together, they stood in silence for a few moments, before InuYasha spoke again. "Have you got everything together?"

"Yes . . . I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be for this. I've learned everything I can about my powers, and my quiver is stocked full of arrows. I've got medical supplies and food in my pack, and I'm leaving the rest of the Shikon Shards here with Kaede just to be on the safe side. How about you?" InuYasha merely nodded in reply.

"Your mother . . ."

"Knows that I'm leaving Shippo and Rin with her. Actually, she's looking forward to it. From what I've told her of Rin, she thinks Rin is going to be absolutely adorable, and Shippo will have a whole lot of fun with my brother. She said it will be good practice for her when she had grandkids." Kagome blushed bright red at this, and InuYasha sighed before giving her a brief hug. Kagome's mother was a great woman . . . a little overzealous about grand children now that Kagome and he were mated, but a great woman, none the less.

Sighing again as he spied his brother a short distance away, he gave Kagome's waist a quick squeeze before releasing her and going to approach his brother. Sesshoumaru looked up at his approach, one silver eyebrow rising in question, his face otherwise composed, as always. InuYasha stifled a spirt of irritation at that thought. His brother's lack of . . . inner fire . . . always unnerved him. The youkai lord could have been carved from ice and stone most of the time . . . the only time InuYasha had ever seen him warm up was with Kagome. He was still slightly irritated that his brother had kissed her . . . but Kagome had never spoken of it, and Sesshoumaru had apologized for it, so there was very little he could do. That was fine by him, actually . . . as long as it didn't happen again. It actually was something of a relief to know that his brother cared about Kagome that much . . . that meant that Sesshoumaru would protect her, if he could, during the fight. And, as much as he didn't want to think about it . . . it meant Kagome wouldn't be alone if anything happened to him. He shrugged off the cold shiver of dread that thought induced. Nothing was going to happen to him . . . nothing was going to keep him away from Kagome now that he had found her love.

"Sesshoumaru . . ."

"InuYasha. I assume you came to see if I am prepared to leave on the morrow. Rest assured, I am ready and willingly to travel. I've been too long in this human village as it is." InuYasha nodded at his brother's matter-of-fact tone. He knew Sesshoumaru had been getting slightly irritable at being so close to humans . . . he himself wasn't too comfortable around them either. That was why Kagome and he had a hut on the far outskirts of the town . . . he didn't feel so crowded out there. It must have been worse for his brother . . . the youkai lord barely tolerated humans on a good day, and outright loathed them at any other time.

"I want to be on the road as early as possible. The sooner we find him . . ."

"The less likely it is that he'll have a trap waiting for us. Yes, brother, I quite agree. Any good leader wants as many advantages as he can get, and Naraku will already have the advantage of home territory." Sesshoumaru sighed, some emotion finally showing through his stoic mask. "Rin is excited to be going to Kagome's home. I had to send her out with Jakken to get a moments peace." InuYasha grinned at that.

"Yeah . . . Kagome had a rather abrupt discussion with Shippo on that subject. He's isn't at all happy about being left behind."

"It is for the best. We will need Kagome in her best form . . ."

"Trust me, Sesshoumaru, she knows that as well as we do. That's why it was her idea in the first place. She stomped on his tantrum rather abruptly." He was surprised to see a slight smile flicker across his brother's elfin features.

"Somehow, I am not surprised." Sesshoumaru paused for a moment before going on. "Father . . . would have approved of her thoroughly, I suspect." The two brothers stood in silence for a moment, before a scent on the wind caused them both to turn towards the woods.

"Kouga . . ." InuYasha growled, his claws cracking ominously as he identified the scent.

"Yes . . . and he is not alone," Sesshoumaru affirmed, his own form relaxed as he watched the dust cloud that signified the arrival of the wolf lord approach.

InuYasha nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft hand on his arm startled him from his watch. Kagome moved up next to him, her own gaze serious as she watched to approaching youkai. InuYasha stifled the urge to pull her to him and place her behind him. Loving Kagome meant trusting her and knowing when to back off, and he knew that Kagome did not consider Kouga a threat. She would not welcome his over-protective jealousy at the moment . . . likely, it would get him one hell of a tongue lashing later. So, he quickly suppressed the urge, standing beside her quietly as Kouga skidded to a halt a few feet in front of them.

"Word is you're going after Naraku," the wolf lord began in greeting. "I want to come with you." InuYasha began to growl a definite negative to that idea, only to be stopped as Kagome stepped forward.

"Why, Kouga? This isn't your fight . . . you actually have shards that we're going to need after this is all said and done. What's to say that you won't try to take off with Naraku's shards yourself?" Kouga actually looked hurt at this, while InuYasha and Sesshoumaru both could only stare at Kagome in surprise.

"Kagome . . ." Kouga began softly, taking a step towards her. He quickly retracted that step when the sound of InuYasha's knuckles cracking sounded through the still air. Kagome shot a glance towards her love, a small smile gracing her lips. She concentrated slightly, sending a wave of calm and love through their link to him. She sighed in relief as he visibly relaxed, a wave of love and apology coming back from him through their bond. She returned to facing Kouga, who had stilled. "Kagome, Naraku is no youkai's friend . . . especially not mine. He wiped out nearly my entire pack . . . I owe him. If you all are going to take him on, I want to go with you. I swear, I merely want to help . . . and you know you'll need all the help you can get. Afterwards . . ." he paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing on, "Afterwards, I will turn my shards over to you."

InuYasha's jaw nearly hit the ground, he was so surprised. Kouga . . . would willingly turn over the shard's of the Shikon Jewel that he had in his possession? Next to him, Sesshoumaru was doing his usual mask trick to cover his own surprise at the wolf youkai's proclamation. Kagome was the only one that remained unsurprised by Kouga's sudden offer.

"You're right, Kouga . . . we will need all the help we can get. I accept . . . we leave tomorrow morning." With that, she turned and walked back into the village. InuYasha stood, stunned speechless, before turning to go after her. How could she make a decision like that without talking to him about it?

Behind them, Sesshoumaru and Kouga shared an amused glance at the hanyou's sudden departure.

"Newly mated . . ." they both said at once, and shared a grin.

"Why in the world are you letting Kouga come with us!?" InuYasha began without preamble as he caught up to his mate. "We don't need him . . . he's going to be more trouble than he's worth!" Kagome sighed, stopping for a moment before turning to look into his golden eyes, her own blue ones steady as she reached up to brush an errant strand of silver hair away from his face.

"Inu . . ." she sighed, "Kouga isn't after me anymore, love, so you can drop the rivalry act. And he was right . . . you know as well as I do that we're going to need all the help we can get against Naraku . . . you're just too stubborn and full of pride to admit that." InuYasha began to sputter a retort to this, but fell silent as Kagome smiled at him gently and lay a finger against his lips. "Don't argue . . . you know it's true. Kouga can be a huge help in this battle . . . he's got amazing speed, even without the shards. That will be useful. Plus . . . as know you've been worrying about protecting me and fighting Naraku at the same time . . . you know Kouga won't allow anything to happen to me, and neither will Sesshoumaru. This will give you another pair of eyes that will be watching over me . . . so stop worrying." 

InuYasha merely sighed before enveloping her in a bruising hug, burying his nose in her hair as he held her body close to his own. She was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He was terrified that something would happen to her while he was distracted with Naraku . . . and Kouga . . . as much as he hated the flea bitten wolf lord, he knew that Kouga would never allow anything to happen to Kagome if he could stop it.

"Feh," he huffed gently against her ear. Kagome took that to be a sign that she had won the argument, and grinned slightly against his shoulder. That was one benefit of being mated, she supposed . . . InuYasha actually listened to her now. She sobered as she thought of the upcoming fight . . . were her miko powers, still slightly untrained as they were, going to be enough? Sighing, she determined she would try to get in one last training session with Kikyo tonight while she slept . . . perhaps Kikyo would have some useful advice as well.

Releasing InuYasha, she stepped back to look up at him, smiling. He returned the grin, his dog ears flicking back and forth at her cutely. She stifled a giggle at the sight, shaking her head absently as she grabbed his hand and tugged, silently asking him to walk with her. He didn't fight her, walking beside her with her hand held lightly in his own, enjoying the feeling of just being with her as they walked down the path towards the Goshinboku. No words were spoken as they arrived, InuYasha merely sweeping her into his arms before bounding up into the tree. Together, the newly mated pair settled onto a branch in the higher levels of the ancient tree, watching as the sun began it's slow descent towards the horizon. The mate bond buzzed with love and comfort as they enjoyed a brief moment away from the troubles that plagued their life, knowing that they would probably see little time alone in the next few weeks, as they would be on the move, hunting down their nemesis in whatever hole he'd crawled in to.

Kagome sighed, leaning back to pillow her head on InuYasha's shoulder as the stars began to blanket the sky with diamonds. She smiled gently as his strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, holding her against him. She would never be afraid of anything . . . not as long as her hanyou was near. She felt his lips brush her neck, and murmured happily as she snuggled closer into his warmth, eliciting a slight chuckle from her mate . . . just before she found herself pulled even closer, and the edges of his billowy fire-rat outer shirt were wrapped around her. She curled into the warmth of his chest at her back, the cloth wrapped tightly around her, and reached up with an arm to absently caress one silken furred ear. A rumble against her back caused her to giggle slightly.

"I love you InuYasha," she murmured contentedly. His arms tightened around her slightly.

"I love you too, Kagome."


	29. Up to New Mischief

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters from InuYasha. If I did, I could afford a new computer instead of the old POS I'm currently doing everything on.

  
  


Author's Notes - My deepest apologies go out to all my readers who were waiting for a chapter last Friday . . . one that never showed up. For the last two weeks, our computer has been having major issues. My husband downloaded a virus, which messed us up terribly. I lost a lot of my work to that hard drive wipe. On top of that, our floppy disk drive is no longer working, which caused problems in reinstalling many of our programs. Add to that a new cable modem that didn't want to work, and the computer throwing a general fit, and it has not been a good two weeks for me. But, I continue to trudge on, and here is the next chapter, finally. I hope you all will forgive me : ) 

Now, on to my latest amusement . . . I got my first flame! Some kid apparantly got dared by his friends to read the lemon scenes section of Starlight and Shadows. His review was something along the lines of 'sick, sicker . . . disturbing and disgusting . . ." something like that at any rate. If he thinks MY lemons are disturbing, he should read some of the ones I've READ. So, anyway, I sent him an email back telling him he shouldn't take dares. What you think all? Should I have just ignored him? *shrugs* ah well . . . one flame in over 500 reviews isn't bad I suppose. Although that was annoying.

Anyway, enjoy the read, and continue to leave me your reviews : )

  
  


Chapter 19 - Up To New Mischief

  
  


Kagome emerged from the well house slowly, looking around the shrine grounds of her home carefully to be sure they had no visitors before signaling to the group behind her. Stepping out of the doors, she turned to watch the expressions on the faces of her visitors.

InuYasha stepped out with his usual air of impatient arrogance, Shippo directly on his heels, his small eyes wide as he took in the place his surrogate mother truly came from. Next came Sesshoumaru, who had insisted on coming to be sure of where Rin was going to be. Kagome had laughed quietly at this . . . she knew the real reason behind the youkai lord's insistence on coming with them - he had not believed that Kagome traveled through time by means of the well. His face had been priceless enough as they jumped into the well in the Sengoku Judai . . . the expression on his usually stoic countenance at this point threatened to leave her without breath for a very long time.

He looked, in a word, stunned. The mask had slipped, allowing Kagome to see underneath to a very surprised, very confused Sesshoumaru. She suppressed the urge to giggle at the expression, instead returning to his side to pry Rin out from behind him.

"It's okay Rin . . . this is my home . . . where I grew up. You are going to be staying with my mother and my brother Sota. Trust me, okay?" Rin nodded at her hesitantly, her eyes wide as she stared around at the grounds. While Rin was distracted, Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru. "Umm . . . Sesshoumaru? You might want to get yourself composed . . . here comes my mother." Golden eyes met blue ones that were twinkling with amusement, and a graceful brow arched gently as he schooled his expression into his more usual mask. She smiled slightly at him, and nodded before turning to greet her mother and younger brother.

"Hi Mom! We're here!"

"I can see that," her mother answered dryly, stopping a few feet away to study the newer arrivals after sparing a brief welcoming smile for her son-in-law. Kagome stepped forward with Shippo in her arms.

"Mom . . . this is Shippo, the young kitsune that travels with us. My adopted son, sort of." Shippo looked out from Kagome's arms with an expression of curiosity. So this was the woman who was mother to Kagome. He could see the resemblance . . . and the kindness of heart. He allowed Kagome to pass him over to her mother, who smiled gently at him before running light fingers through his tail. She then moved to his head, rubbing lightly in a most relaxing manner. He began to rumble gently in what could only be called a purr.

"Well . . . I would say there's going to be no problems here," her mother said softly, smiling down at the young kitsune as he snuggled into her arms further. She glanced up . . . and got caught in golden eyes that were both distant and alert. "Oh my . . ." she murmured, her voice trailing off into silence. Kagome grinned from where she stood for a moment before moving to make introductions.

"Mother, this is Sesshoumaru . . . InuYasha's older half-brother," she murmured. Her mother's eyes widened as she turned to look at her daughter in horror.

"But, Kagome . . . you said . . ."

"It's okay Mom . . . we've called a truce." Leaning closer, she added in a whisper "Besides, we're slowly building a better relationship with him now. He's one of the good guys . . . at the moment." Her mother nodded slightly, and turned to regard the youkai lord solemnly.

"Since that is the case . . . welcome to my home, brother of InuYasha. I am Sakura Higurashi, Kagome's mother." Surprising everyone, the woman actually made a formal bow to Sesshoumaru. Even more surprising, the enigmatic youkai answered the bow with one of his own. Kagome and InuYasha exchanged a brief glance at this, Kagome's gaze questioning. InuYasha merely shrugged slightly in response. Who knew what was going through his brother's mind? 

"Greetings, Lady Higurashi," Sesshoumaru murmured. With a gentle hand, he reached behind him, pushing Rin out into the open. "This is Rin, my charge. Your daughter said she would be staying here while we are . . . otherwise occupied?" Kagome's mother nodded at the question.

"That was agreed upon by Kagome and myself a few nights ago. Of course, if you don't feel comfortable with the arrangement . . ." Her voice trailed off as Sesshoumaru held up one delicate, clawed hand.

"The arrangement is more than satisfactory, Lady Higurashi. I could not ask for a better place for Rin to be than under the care of the very same woman who raised Lady Kagome. I am honored that you will take my charge under your care." Mrs. Higurashi was blushing at the sincere compliment from Sesshoumaru, while both Kagome and InuYasha were staring at him wide-eyed. Ducking her head, Sakura Higurashi turned her attention to young Rin.

"Hello Rin," she said softly. "I'm Kagome's mother, but you can call me Sakura. You'll be staying with me for a little while, if that's okay with you?" Rin nodded silently, her eyes solemn as she studied the woman. Coming to a decision, she reached out and took the hand that Mrs. Higurashi had held to her, giving the older woman a soft smile full of shyness.

"Well then," Mrs. Higurashi murmured, "shall we see the two of you to your rooms? Sota, dear, can you go retrieve Kagome's pack from her room while I show these two darlings where they will be sleeping?" Sota nodded and dashed off, Mrs. Higurashi following at a more sedate pace.

Sesshoumaru watched his charge walk out of sight into the house before turning his attention to the temple grounds. A familiar tree caught his attention almost immediately. Kagome noticed his sudden attention, and smiled.

"Yes . . . that tree is still standing, even in my time. It's actually the reason the shrine is here . . . well, part of it, at any rate," she murmured. "Well, while Sota is getting my pack, why don't I show you around the shrine. Inu, can you wait here for Sota? If I know him, he'll pull something before we leave . . . he can't resist." InuYasha grinned and nodded, flicking his ears at her, to which she giggled before taking Sesshoumaru's arm.

InuYasha watched them walk slowly away, Kagome pointing out where things in their time would have been to Sesshoumaru, who was looking around in interest. He shook his head slightly before settling down with his back against the well house. Rin and Shippo would be safe here, and out of their way while they sought the final confrontation with Naraku. In a way, he dreaded the final battle to come. What would happen after they had the full jewel? The jewel had brought Kagome to his time . . . would it allow her to stay once it was whole again? He ignored the pain his heart gave him at the thought that it might not. No matter what . . . he would be with Kagome. If he had to wait five hundred years, he would do so.

  
  


*------*------*-------*------*

  
  


Mrs. Higurashi sighed and glanced up wards towards the sounds from above. Sota and Shippo were getting along well . . . almost too well, in her opinion. She knew they were making a wreck of Sota's room . . . thank heaven's Rin was a quiet child. She didn't think she could handle it if Rin had been just as rambunctious as the young kitsune. She smiled down at the young girl as Rin stood at the sink, helping her prepare vegetables for dinner.

Kagome had told her of the young girl's past, and how she had come to be with Sesshoumaru. Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help but feel sorry for the child, and grateful at the same time. That the child had come through such horror with such a sweet nature was a miracle . . . and from what she knew of Sesshoumaru, the fact that he had taken the child into his care was a much bigger miracle in itself.

Noise from the stairway interrupted her train of thought as two young whirlwinds came rushing down the stairs and through the kitchen towards the back door.

"Hold on a minute, you two!" she called, stopping them in their tracks. "Shippo, you are going to have to use one of those illusions of yours if you two are going to go outside. The shrine hasn't closed for the day yet, and we may still have guests out there." Shippo nodded and pulled a leaf from his pocket, placing it on his head carefully. In a puff of smoke, where a young kitsune had once stood was now a young boy of approximately Sota's height, with reddish hair and a mischievous grin. "Be careful, both of you. Sota, Shippo is still from a different time. Be sure to keep an eye on him, understand?" Sota sighed and nodded before both boys took off out the door. "Why do I get the feeling that those two are up to no good?" she murmured.

Indeed, the two of them were currently intent on climbing the Goshinboku. Shippo had been telling Sota stories about his hero, InuYasha, and Sota now wanted to know what it must be like to sit up in the higher branches of the tree. While Shippo nimble hopped up the tree, Sota climbed slowly. Finally, they were on the topmost branches of the tree . . . on the very branch that InuYasha used to sit on from the looks of the claw marks dug into the bark.

Shippo was staring around in awe. So high up in the Goshinboku, he could see off the shrine grounds to the city of Tokyo itself. 'Wow,' he thought to himself. 'This is what our home will look like in five hundred years? What happened to all the forests? And what about all the youkai? Where could they all be?' He was distracted by a sudden yell from Sota.

He watched in numb horror as the young boy slipped, sliding off the branch and towards the ground far below. He could hear people crying out at the boy's fall, but it didn't register. Thinking fast, he turned into his bubble form, enveloping Sota within himself before the boy could reach ground. He heard Sota grunt with the impact . . . hell, even he took a few bruises from it . . . but at least they were both alive, which Sota would not have been otherwise.

It was with a distinct look of horror that he turned back into himself . . . only to discover that they were surrounded by people. People who were looking at him in wonder, and fear. 

"What the hell is that!" one man shouted, pointing directly at Shippo. Shippo turned pale. There was no way to cover this up . . . they had all seen him turn into a bubble and back, and now he was in his fox form.

Mrs. Higurashi came rushing up, gathering both boys into a huge hug before turning to face the crowd. Surprisingly, she bowed to them all with a grin plastered onto her face.

"Thank you all. I do hope you enjoyed the show my boys just performed. We're still perfecting the act. Young Shippo here is playing a kitsune, a fox demon that supposedly existed back in the Feudal Age. It has recently come to light that not all stories about demons were horrible ones . . . actually, it is said that there were some good demons as well. This little play act was to show that." She turned to the two boys with an expression of annoyance. "And I thought I told you two that we only practice that act when the shrine is empty until we have it down perfect! Now, both of you, go up to your rooms right now! Shippo, get out of that outfit and into some real clothes. I don't want to see either of you out of your rooms until I call you for dinner. Do you understand?" Both boys nodded solemnly and ran off.

The gathered people muttered and grumbled, but generally seemed to accept her excuse and dispersed slowly. Once they were all gone, Mrs. Higurashi heaved a sigh of relief. Keeping those two under control was going to be much harder than she had originally thought.


	30. Hunting

Disclaimer - I don't own them, more's the pity . . . or else you would be seeing this stuff like this in the anime.

  
  


Author's Notes - Well . . . where to begin? Hmm . . . I feel like being a b**** today, since I'm awake way earlier than normal (thank my kids, oy), and I think I'll start with my second little flamer. I won't mention any names . . . but a twelve year old who read my lemon section and then told me it was totally wrong and InuYasha had no romance in it (he/she is under the belief that it is all about action and adventure) really got under my skin. And then wonders why I treated he/she like a child in my answering email. *sniff* You show me you're mature, I'll treat like an equal . . . you show me you're a brat, and I'll treat you like one. Besides . . . 540+ good reviews can't all be wrong, now can they?

Well . . . now that's out of the way . . . here's the next chappie folks : ) A little bit more plot developement and loose end tying, plus some of the lingering shadows between Kag and Inu. Hope you all enjoy.

Oh . . . let me just say this before I let you get on with the chapter (ducks the rotten tomatoes flying her way) . . . I don't judge people by age. I judge them by attitude . . . just in case someone misread the above rant. You could be eight years old for all I care . . . as long as your criticism is mature and well placed, I will take it nicely. It's when it's written with stupidity, bigotry, and downright moronic close-minded attitudes that I get annoyed. Now then, on with the chapter.

  
  


Chapter 20 - Hunting

  
  


Kagome heaved a sigh of relief as they sat down for a mid afternoon meal and a rest. They had covered a good amount of ground since leaving the village that morning, and her feet were killing her. She had left her bike behind . . . it was still severely busted up after the last time she had rode it, and with everything that had been going on, she had forgotten to take it back to her time to get repaired. Not that anyone would blame her . . . suddenly getting everything you ever wanted tended to make people forget a lot. 

Her eyes fell on InuYasha, who was standing a short distance away, scanning the horizon with eyes, ears, and nose for some hint of Naraku. She knew he would probably be upset with her if he found out she was in pain, mostly for not telling him and allowing him to carry her, but she still suffered from a slight uncertainty that he would consider her weak. 

She jumped in surprise when a delicate, clawed hand tapped her gently on the shoulder. She grinned sheepishly as she looked up into Sesshoumaru's amused eyes. He gestured towards her feet, one eyebrow quirking slightly in question. She shook her head slightly, and smiled at him. He gave her a stern look, but didn't argue with her, instead leaving her side to go scan the horizon with his brother. She watched the two of them for a moment before moving to take off her socks and shoes, settling at the nearby stream to dangle her feet in the water.

"You should have said something, Kagome . . ." InuYasha murmured a few moments later as he crouched down next to her, his golden eyes concerned. 

"I didn't want to be a burden," she replied. "You have enough going on trying to track any traces of Naraku without carrying me as well."

"Feh," he snorted. Reaching out a hand, he took her chin gently in his grip, turning her to face him. "I can track and carry you at the same time . . . I've done it before. Besides . . . I like carrying you." Kagome blushed slightly at that statement, but didn't argue any further with him. It would have been a losing battle, and she knew it - he wasn't known as 'the stubborn hanyou' among their group for nothing, after all. She decided that a change in subject was in order.

"Has there been any sign of him?" she asked quietly. InuYasha snorted, settling back in the grass on his heels, dipping a hand into the water absently.

"Nothing. I get faint traces here and there, but nothing recent. And it's going to rain soon, so I'll lose even those brief traces. Sesshoumaru's not having luck with even the faint traces, so he's no help . . . and wolf boy hasn't come in from his position, so no idea if he's even found anything." From InuYasha's tone of voice, he sounded highly doubtful of Kouga's having found anything useful. Kagome sighed and shook her head in amusement. No matter how often she stressed to him that Kouga was no longer interested, InuYasha apparantly would always see him as a rival for her affections. Of course, Kouga wasn't helping matters any.

As if her thoughts has summoned him, the wolf youkai arrived in camp in a cloud of dust, making his way over to Kagome and dropping to a knee before her. She spied the grin on his face, and knew that he was doing it just to make a point to her hanyou . . . and from the steam that was almost coming out of InuYasha's cute little dog ears, he was succeeding. Sighing internally, she decided perhaps she had better have a talk with Kouga later on.

"Welcome back, Kouga," she murmured.

"Find anything, wolf?" InuYasha managed to grind out, his teeth clenched in what had to be an abnormal manner. Kagome lay a restraining hand on his arm, reaching out through their bond with a wave of calm. At the same time, she shot the wolf lord a reproving glance, which he sheepishly accepted by standing and moving a bit farther away from her. She felt InuYasha muscles relax as he sent her a wave of apology, which she answered with amusement.

"Nothing. Nothing but the same faint traces we've been getting since we left this morning. It's like he's leading us on, but not willing to give us too much."

"Feh . . . I wouldn't put it past him," InuYasha snorted. He stood, and glanced down at Kagome. "We'll rest for five more minutes . . . and then you are riding." Kagome sighed, but didn't argue. It would have been useless anyway. 

  
  


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InuYasha slipped Kagome carefully from his back into Sesshoumaru's waiting arms, then turned to take her from him gently without disturbing her sleep. Nodding a thanks to his older brother, he knelt to slip her gently into her sleeping bag, which Sango had laid out on the forest floor already. After carefully tucking her in, he settled nearby with his back against a tree, the tetsusiaga resting against his shoulder, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched the others settle in . . . Kouga on the far side of the camp, Sesshoumaru a short distance away, Sango and Miroku snuggled together near the fire. With the three demonic beings, there was no need to set a watch . . . all of them would be woken up if a strange presence appeared in the camp.

It wasn't long before everyone was asleep and dreaming. The moon shone over head, half full in the cloudless sky, the stars sparkling gently against the backdrop of night. It was disturbed by the graceful, snake-like shadows of soul stealers . . . Kikyo's pet demons.

InuYasha awoke with a start, a familiar scent wafting on the night air. With a soft growl of annoyance, he levered himself from the ground, pausing to check on Kagome before walking softly from the camp in the direction of the scent.

He came upon her in a clearing not far from the camp, the still form of the undead miko showing clearly where she knelt in the dim moonlight.

"InuYasha . . . I knew that you would come to me," Kikyo murmured, standing to face him as he entered the clearing. He stopped near the edge, his knuckles tightening on the hilt of his sword as he fought down the urge to draw it and kill her where she stood.

"I only came to make sure you came no closer, Kikyo. You will not harm Kagome again."

"I am not after that silly little copy of me . . . I came for you, my love."

"I'm not yours, Kikyo, and never will be. I'm not going to hell with you." He shifted uneasily as she stepped towards him, but she stopped just out of reach.

"You will have no choice, and you know that. Why fool yourself? But that is not why I am here . . . I know what you seek. And I know where he is." InuYasha froze as those words passed her lips. She knew . . . where Naraku was? But . . . what was the price for her information?

"And what do you want in return, Kikyo?" he ground out finally, forcing his muscles to relax as he stood before her. It was hard for him to believe he had once thought he loved her. Now, as he stood so near her, he could see all that was lacking in her . . . all the warmth, the fire, the passion that was Kagome was not in the pale figure before him . . . and never had been. At least he knew now that was what he needed . . . he needed Kagome like he needed the air to breathe.

"Nothing at all, InuYasha. I want nothing for the information I have . . . for I need nothing. In the end, all will be as it should."

  
  


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InuYasha returned to camp slowly, his expression solemn. What Kikyo had told him was not pleasant . . . nor would it be easy information to pass on. The place Naraku had apparently chosen for the final confrontation . . . he shook his head. There was no use dwelling on what would be. They would not know until they got there how things would go.

He stopped short as he walked into camp . . . and found Kagome sitting up and waiting for him. Her eyes were solemn, watching him as he blanched, but bravely walked over and settled down near her.

"I didn't go to her for that . . ." he murmured. To his surprise, Kagome didn't yell, or cry, or say anything for a moment. When she finally did speak, it was even more surprising to him.

"She knows where he is," she said softly, turning to look into his eyes. "What was the price on her information?"

"She . . . she said that there was no price . . . because things would turn out in the end whether we wished them to or not. But . . . how did you know?"

"We're mated, InuYasha. I knew you wouldn't go to her for that . . . which meant that you went to make sure she didn't try anything. As for knowing she had information for us . . . I dreamed of her." She shifted slighly, leaning over to snuggle against him absently. Laying Tetsusiaga down on the ground, he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his fire-rat clad arms around her as she lay against him. "I trust you, InuYasha. We're mated now . . . besides, I'm not a little girl anymore. If that was who you had chosen . . . then there was nothing I could do about it. But I know that you've chosen me . . . so I have no need to worry, now do I?" She yawned sleepily, snuggling into his arms deeper as she drifted back in to slumber. "I love you, you silly hanyou. Forever and always."

"I love you too Kagome. I'll never stop loving you," he murmured in reply. In silence, he listened to her breathing slow and deepen, signalling her return to her dreams. Leaning his head down, he buried his face in her hair, drawing her scent into himself. Never again would he be alone . . . if not in body, he knew Kagome's spirit and heart would always be with him . . . as his would be with her.

  
  


Continuing Author's Notes - The email thing . . . if you write me an email, or specifically request one, I will email you. I try to keep up with all my reviewers when I can . . . even the flamers get answers back (although I will admit, they're nasty ones when the flame is stupid). So don't hesitate to give me your email addy if you want to hear from me directly . . . I promise I will answer.


	31. Walking Into Shadows

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha, or any of the characters therefrom. I'm sure there are certain individuals who are thanking any and every god they can think of for that.

Author's Notes - Well, I did something I swore I would never do . . . I deleted a review. Actually, I deleted a flame, but I found it so moronic I didn't feel it was worth keeping up, even for my other reviewers to tear it apart. However, I will admit to my mistake . . . my little flamer was a girl. That, of course, confuses me even further that a female could think InuYasha had no romance in it . . . but whatever. To each his own. I only have one thing for her, if she is still reading . . . your hatred warms my heart. I'll add it to the pile of other people who's hatred reminds me that I am human, and not a goddess.

Now, for my serious and loving reviewers - I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I had to do a bit of research on certain characters that I am not familiar with, and even after that, it still wasn't up to the point where I felt comfortable with it. The fight scene still doesn't feel quite 'right' to me . . .but it's a good deal better than it was when I first finished it. I hope you enjoy it.

Many of you seem to be worried about how I'm going to end this . . . without giving anything away, let's just say that I don't THINK you'll be disappointed. I will, however, warn you all that there is more angst to come. Come now people . . . you didn't think it was all going to be cake and roses now that they've got their relationship issues worked out, did you? I couldn't make it THAT cheesy. There are still so many PROBLEMS to deal with : ) So, while there will probably be a happy ending . . . it's not going to be the yellow brick road : ) With that said, enjoy the story : )

  
  


Chapter 21 - Walking into Shadows

  
  


"I know this will be hard for you Sango . . ." Miroku murmured as he walked by her side. He stole a sidelong glance at his love, and nearly flinched from the cold mask she presented to the world.

"Naraku must pay for what he did . . . and it is fitting that he should be waiting for us at my former home. After all, it is where the Shikon Jewel was born . . . and where it was protected for a very long time." She spun suddenly, catching him off guard as she tackled him in a hug, burying her face against his chest. "I can do this . . ." she whispered, "but at the same time I dread going back there, and seeing it all again." Miroku could say nothing to this outburst, replying by running a gentle hand over her back, wordlessly trying to soothe the demon exterminator.

InuYasha glanced backwards to the couple, lightly touching a hand to Kagome's shoulder to signal a halt. He had known this would be particularly rough on the young woman, and he regretted that fact in a way he had thought he never could, but at the same time it had to be dealt with. Naraku had chosen the battle ground . . . it was now up to them to take the fight to him. Kagome sighed as she sank onto a rock, her own eyes sad as she looked at her best friend.

"Poor Sango . . . it's bad enough she's going to have to face her own brother without having to do it in the very village they grew up," she murmured, leaning lightly against InuYasha as he settled on the rock beside her.

"Will she be able to handle it?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, his own eyes serious as he examined the distraught demon exterminator. "Perhaps it will be best if we leave her out of this fight." InuYasha snorted as he glanced up at his elder brother.

"Even if she couldn't handle it, Sango would rather we killed her than left her out of the fight. She has her own vengeance to take on Naraku . . . both for her brother and for her entire village. Trust me, brother . . . she will be an even fiercer fighter once she gets her bearings again." Sesshoumaru sighed, but did not argue further. 

At the first sign of Miroku and Sango separating, they were back on the move, walking silently through the endless forests and plains of Feudal Age Japan, moving towards what would be their final battle.

  
  


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Naraku studied them through the mirror in silence, hungry eyes resting on Kagome before moving over the rest of the group, only to come back to Kagome every time.

"So . . . Sesshoumaru has joined them . . . as has the wolf lord, Kouga. This could prove to be most interesting . . ." he murmured. Standing slowly, he moved towards the window in his throne room, looking out over the once teeming village of exterminator's to the cave far below . . . the cave where Midoriko and the final demon rested in eternal slumber. "Soon the jewel will be mine . . . and I will walk into that cave and destroy the very thing that makes the jewel unbalanced. That battle will be over . . . and a new world will begin." He began to laugh slightly, drawing the gaze of his three remaining servants.

"Kagura . . . you and the boy shall await them just outside the village. Do as much damage as you can." Kagura bowed, hiding the snarl that graced her lips as she acknowledged that he was sending her out to die. "And Kagura . . . I will be watching," Naraku added, a final taunt to his unwilling servant as she walked gracefully from the room, Kohaku a silent shadow at her side.

"Are you sure it is wise to trust her?" a soft voice asked him from the shadows as he returned to the mirror Kanna held out for him, his eyes resting hungrily on Kagome.

"I hold her heart . . . she can do nothing against me, as she well knows. None of my children can," he said distractedly. In his mind, he was comparing the girl in the mirror before him to the clay doll that stood behind him. Both contained a soul he had hungered for . . . but he found that he still hungered for the girl who traveled with InuYasha. Her light . . . her warmth . . . he craved it, craved that flame as if he was a moth drawn to it. He longed devour it, to take it into himself . . . and he thought perhaps that he just might do it anyway. But he would need to taint her first . . . corrupt the purity that made her so lethal to him, as he had corrupted the purity of Kikyo with his game so long ago. That had ended in her death however . . . he had misjudged what she would do after being wounded. He had thought she would use the jewel to heal herself after killing InuYasha . . . instead, she had opted to die, and in doing so take the jewel out of this world and into the next with her.

He could feel her presence beside him, her own eyes resting on that which she had joined him for . . . the hanyou, InuYasha. She desired him, desired his death, his damnation . . . and Naraku's desire for Kagome fed into that perfectly. Naraku would get Kagome . . . and Kikyo would take InuYasha to hell with her. In the end, they would both get what they desired . . . all for a simple, brief alliance.

  
  


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"Well . . . I'd say this definitely means he is here," Kagome murmured as they stared into the dark cloud of miasma that surrounded what once had been Sango's home village. They had been on the move for three days, almost non stop. All of them were anxious for the battle to be over . . . Kouga for his final vengeance in the death of his clan, Sesshoumaru for Rin's protection, Sango for her families honor, Miroku for the curse his family had endured, InuYasha for the final justice he and Kikyo's betrayal cried for . . . and Kagome so that she could finally settle down and have a life again, with her hanyou.

There was a hiss of indrawn breath and the ring of fang against sheath as Kagura and Kohaku stepped out of the miasma before them.

"So, Naraku sends you to do his dirty work, and once again hides in the shadows. Isn't that always the way?" InuYasha snarled, his grip on the Tetsusiaga tightening as he stared into the face of the wind controller. 

"She's mine, dog breath," Kouga snarled, moving past InuYasha to take up a fighting stance facing Kagura. "She decimated my pack . . . I owe her." Reluctantly, InuYasha stepped back, allowing Kouga his vengeance against the wind demon.

"Hello wolf lord. My lord Naraku sends you greetings . . . and gives you one last chance to flee here before you become a rug before his fireplace," Kagura called, snapping her fan to the side in preparation for the battle a head. "Like the rest of your clan did."

Snarling, Kouga charged, the shards making him no more than a blur as he flew at the still figure of Kagura. Intent as he was on his target, his rage blinding him to all else, he almost did not see the blade coming at him from the side until it was too late. He ducked and rolled, coming back onto his feet with a growl as he glared at Kohaku. A hand on his arm stopped him from charging the puppet.

"I will take care of my brother . . ." Sango murmured as she stepped out from behind him, the two siblings facing off against each other across the very field upon which they used to play. Tears sparkled in the exterminator's eyes, but the look of determination on her face was enough to convince the wold youkai that she meant it . . . she would be the one to deal with her brother, no one else. Kouga nodded and turned his attention back towards Kagura, a small smile passing his lips as he spied the remaining members of InuYasha's pack spreading out. Miroku had moved to keep an eye on Sango, and Sesshoumaru stood a slight distance away from Kouga, ready to move in at a moment's notice. 

InuYasha and Kagome stood together away from the fighting, watching solemnly as their friends charged into battle. Kagome stood just slightly behind and to the right of InuYasha, her bow drawn, arrow nocked and held loosely, ready to be shot should it become necessary. 

"Will Sango be able to handle this by herself?" InuYasha murmured to his mate as he watched the demon exterminator face off against the boy who had been her brother. He knew from many talks with her that this was going to be hard on her . . . it was a confrontation she had been both in dread of and anxious for. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to do it . . . to face killing a person you had cared for. So few people in his life had truly cared for him at all . . . if any of them had turned on him, he wouldn't have been able to get past that fact in order to fight.

"She needs to do this . . . she needs to know her brother is finally at rest." Kagome didn't add that she was hoping the perhaps Kohaku could be restored to himself if she could only get her hands on him with her powers . . . she knew her mate would not approve of her taking the chance, not when Naraku was so near. But Sango was her best friend in this time . . . and she knew how she would have felt if that was Sota. If there was even the slightest chance that she could undo what Naraku had done, she was willing to at least try . . . no matter what the risk to herself might be.

Kouga charged Kagura again, an arm thrown over his eyes to protect them as Kagura called a cutting wind to slow him down. He bulled through it, his shards pouring extra energy and speed into his limbs as he moved towards her, claws reaching blindly for the fan that she used to control the wind. If he could just remove that from her grasp, he was pretty sure he could take her down easily. He could feel the wind abrading his skin, rocks and small debris alike slamming into his body from the small vortex she was creating. He hissed as she narrowed the vortex, the wind becoming more cutting as she fine tuned it on him, finally being forced to stop altogether as he began to lose ground against her. 

Thinking fast, he dodged to the side, out of the direct line of her wind. Rolling to his feet, he began to weave back and forth across her line of sight, keeping her from narrowing the wind vortex on him as he kept on the move. Finally, he was close enough to her. With a final leap and a snarl, he moved to tackle her. Too soon, he realized, as he was picked up and thrown back by the wind she called to her. 

The wind knocked out of him as he slammed into the ground. He scrambled to his feet, gasping to restore his air as he watched Kagura smile across the distance between them. That smile quickly faded as he charged, and she summoned a tornado around her, she herself standing in the eye of it. Kouga slid to a halt outside the wall of air, thinking for a moment. Coming to a quick decision, he leapt high . . . directly into the wall of air. As he had suspected, after a few rounds, it deposited him straight into the middle . . . face to face with Kagura. 

A clawed hand reached out, snatching the fan out of her startled grasp and shredding it quickly. He quickly moved to snap her neck . . . and stopped when he realized she was not moving to defend herself.

"Kill me," she said, staring at him angrily. "Finish it . . . release me from him. It's the only way I'll ever be free." He glared at her, his eyes angry as he found himself unable to carry out his plan. Angry at himself and her, he spun her around, tying her hands neatly together behind her back, making her a prisoner. 

Sango and Kohaku faced off across a short expanse of grass. Sango's face was devoid of expression as she looked at the boy who had at one time been her younger brother. 'He's not Kohaku anymore,' she reminded herself again. 'He's simply in your brother's form . . . you have to do this so the real Kohaku can rest in peace.' Suddenly, the siblings moved,, Kohaku flinging his blade at her in a rush, his body moving to the side and forward as he angled to get close to her. Sango read the move, using her boomerang to deflect the weapon as she dove farther from her brother. She came up in a crouch, the boomerang in front of her as a shield, and was just in time to move it upwards as Kohaku's came over it with his short sword. The sudden movement of the boomerang caught him in the midsection, and he grunted with the impact as it flung him onto his back a short distance away. Sango moved in, but was not fast enough to prevent his climb back to his feet. He quickly dodged, moving back to summon minor demons to his aide, 

"Oh no you don't," Sango murmured. Setting her feet firmly into the ground, she flung the bone boomerang at him, charging in behind it. Kohaku easily dodged the boomerang, but was caught off guard by the sudden charge, and suddenly found himself flat on his back, Sango's blade at his throat. It was then that Naraku decided to use a ploy he had used before. He released his hold on the boy, allowing the real Kohaku to come forth.

"Sango . . ." the boy murmured, staring up with confused and sorrow filled eyes at the figure of his older sister above.

"Kohaku . . . I'm sorry, little brother," she murmured in reply, staring down into her brother's eyes for what she thought would be the last time. A hand on her shoulder stopped her from pressing through with the blade.

Kagome knelt beside her, reaching under Kohaku for the shard that was implanted in his back, her other hand resting on his heart, glowing with power.

"I don't know if this will work . . . but I hope it will," she whispered, just as she pulled the shard from the young boy At the same time, she sent her power into him, cleansing him and healing him of the taint Naraku had spread through him.

Kohaku howled in pain and anguish as Kagome's purifying power washed through him, restoring his memory and healing his physical wounds . . . the wounds that would have been fatal if not for the shard Naraku had implanted in him. Finally, it became too much, and he passed out . . . but not before Kagome knew she had done it. Kohaku would live . . . and he would be himself again.

Sighing, she staggered to her feet, smiling gently as Sango who looked up at her with tears of joy flooding her eyes. Kagome had restored her brother to her, against all hope and expectations. She felt the warmth inside her, knowing she had done something good this day. Her eyes rested lightly on the brother and sister at her feet. Miroku had moved to join them, kneeling beside Sango, who was sobbing happily, hugging her brother's limp body to her as Miroku in turn rested a light arm around her shoulders.

She turned to check on Kouga, and found him standing not far away, a bound Kagura in front of him on her knees. He looked absolutely disgusted with himself . . . probably due to the fact that he hadn't killed her. Her glance turned to Sesshoumaru, who was moving forwards to talk with Kouga . . . and he didn't look all that happy himself. She debated on moving to head off the fight that she was sure was about to break out . . . but she found suddenly that at the moment she was too tired to really worry about it. Turning, she smiled as she saw InuYasha, and moved to join her mate, who was smiling at her and shaking his head at the same time.

It caught all of them off guard when Naraku suddenly appeared . . . right next to Kagome. Startled, and still suffering the side effects of her restoration of Kohaku, she was unable to do anything as he snatched her back against him, pinning her arms to her sides as he faced InuYasha over her shoulder.

"Come and get her, if you dare, hanyou. She might be waiting for you if you hurry." Kagome could only struggle futilely as she watched her surroundings swirl and darken until the only thing that remained was Naraku's firm arms around her. She managed to get a single arm loose, reaching out towards InuYasha in a desperate attempt for her mate to reach her, to prevent her from being taken from him.

"KAGOME!" InuYasha howled as she faded into darkness, one hand reaching out to him in a desperate plea as Naraku took her away from him.

  
  


Author's Sub-Notes - Well, I hope it wasn't too short for you. I'm going to be posting every other week now . . . we're coming into a very tricky part of the plot that is proving to be a real pain to get write, and I'm getting REALLY picky : ) So, the chapters will be probably be longer and more tangled, but should be well worth the read : ) Don't forget to review, tell me what you think, give me ideas. All I ask is that you do it in a sane, reasonable, and dignified manner. Even flames, as long as they are logical and worded nicely, will get my attention . . . flames that are stupid, pointless, and just filled with 'I hate you' and 'you are so wrong, sick, and disgusting' tend to piss me off . . . in case you hadn't noticed : ) That said, see you in two weeks : )

  
  



	32. Falling Light

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha. Probably a very good thing.

  
  


Author's Notes - well, here's a longer chapter, for all those nice people who didn't throw rotten fruit and vegetables at me for that vile cliff hanger. Of course, you're probably not going to like this one much better . . . but you'll have to be the judges of that. Lots of angst and drama in this one . . . so I hope you all enjoy it : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 22 - Falling Light

  
  


"So, you brought her here," Kikyo murmured as she watched Naraku reappear, Kagome clutched firmly against him. The travel had apparently overwhelmed her, as she sagged against her captor, her eyes closed in unconsciousness.

"It will make InuYasha reckless . . . which is more of an advantage then you care to admit, Kikyo. Or is it that you just have no wish to admit that this girl means more to him than you ever did?" He smiled grimly as Kikyo snarled at him, her eyes hate-filled as they rested on the young girl who was her reincarnation. 

Kikyo spun away from the knowing look, refusing to give him more to gloat over. Naraku smiled at her stiff back, before his gaze softened as he glanced down at the young miko in his arms. She was truly beautiful . . . and with both her and Kikyo in the room, he could see why InuYasha had chosen as he had. This young girl was so full of warmth and light . . . so unlike the miko her spirit had once been, even when Kikyo had been alive. He ran a gentle hand through her ebony locks, marveling at the softness before shaking himself out of his stupor. He had work to do, and he needed to do it quickly if he was to have the advantage in this fight.

  
  


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Sesshoumaru and Kouga found themselves with their hands full as they tried to restrain InuYasha from charging into the miasma to find his kidnaped mate. He snarled at them futilely, his eyes slowing bleeding into red as they kept him from his purpose . . . from his mate, who needed him.

"InuYasha, snap out of it! If you charge in there now, you'll be doing exactly what he wants! He took her to make you careless, and he's succeeding!" Kouga growled, his grip on the enraged hanyou tightening in an attempt to use pain to make him listen. Finally, it was Sango who broke through to him.

"InuYasha . . . if you charge in there thoughtlessly, you risk not only Kagome, but yourself as well. How would Kagome feel if she had to go on without you?" The red slowly began to recede as he stared at the exterminator, who was nearly in tears herself. "She returned my brother to me, against all odds, InuYasha. I won't leave her in there with him . . . but I won't leave her without her mate either, so damn it, THINK!" He sagged suddenly, causing his brother and the wolf lord to lose their grip on him at the movement. Falling to his knees, he raised sorrow filled golden eyes to Sango.

"I can't feel her anymore . . ." he whispered. "My bond with her . . . it's like it doesn't exist." Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru knelt down in front of him, meeting InuYasha's golden eyes with his own worried ones.

"Naraku is blocking it . . . he's trying to work the two of you against each other, as he has done before. Kagome has faith in you . . . you must have faith in your mate as well. Now come, the sooner we make plans, the sooner we can get young Kagome from him and finish this." Rising to his feet in a single, graceful movement, he held out one delicate hand to his brother. InuYasha took it, allowing the youkai lord to pull him back to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he turned now-angry eyes to the miasma covered town before them.

"Let's do this. We stick to the original plan . . . we just modify it to find Kagome first." 

"Wait." InuYasha turned molten golden eyes on the captive in their midst. "Please . . . you can not take the boy in there, and I have no wish to go back. He will kill me . . . or try to use me again. I'm begging you . . . leave me here - bound if you feel it necessary - and leave the boy with me. I swear I will guard him." Kagura looked small and helpless bound as she was, on her knees with Kouga standing behind her.

"Why should we trust you?" Kouga growled, his claws flexing in agitation. Kagura sighed before speaking again.

"Because I know why he wants your Kagome," she murmured, looking solemnly into InuYasha's gaze.

  
  


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Naraku stared silently down at the still form of the unconscious young miko, his expression one of both longing and confusion. What was it about this girl that made him feel so . . . dirty? No, not dirty . . . but tainted. Absently, he put his fist through the wall, his frustration at being unable to understand showing itself in the physical display of anger. The thud caused the figure below him to wince, drawing his attention back to her like a magnet.

Crimson eyes watched as she moaned, her body shifting as she came back to consciousness. Blue eyes opened slowly, only to freeze as she met his gaze, her body stilling as well. The silence swirled around them, tangible in the air as the pure young miko and the tainted hanyou met each other's gaze.

Kagome was caught in her own thoughts as she stared up into Naraku's eyes. 'The eyes truly are the mirror to the soul . . .' she thought absently. His swam with confusion, sorrow, and . . . was that longing? What could the heartless demon they knew long for? And why was he looking at HER like that? She blinked, still trying to comprehend what she was seeing . . . and he was gone.

She sat up, startled and glanced wildly around the room. She was alone . . . had she imagined him? Her eyes fell on the hole in the wall and she shuddered. No, she hadn't imagined him . . . so then why had he left so suddenly? And what did he want with her? Glancing down, she found herself no longer in her school uniform . . . rather, she was dressed in a black kimono with silver cranes adorning the silk. A silver wrap completed the outfit on the outside. While she wasn't normally fond of black, she liked the outfit . . . but she couldn't help wondering how she had gotten into it in the first place. 

The question was answered soon enough by the appearance of Kanna, one of Naraku's children whom they had run into once before. Silently, Kanna held her mirror out in front of her for Kagome to look into. Warily, Kagome edged forward on the bed until she could gaze into the mirror. She gave a hoarse cry as she found herself looking down at her mate and their friends.

Sound came to her suddenly from the mirror, and she shrank back as the words rang in her ears.

"Naraku has Kagome, InuYasha . . . what are we going to do about that?" Sango was asking. InuYasha snorted.

"What do I care what he does with that sniveling, useless shadow? She was a good lay, and I got to live what I never got the chance to have with Kikyo, but that's it. He can have her, for all I care . . . once we're done here, I can become a full demon and be done with all of this stupid nonsense." The tone of voice, the stance . . . even the look on his face was all too familiar to Kagome . . . she'd seen it in her dreams so many times before.

"No . . ." she whispered hoarsely, shaking her head. "No, it's not true. He LOVES me . . . I'm his mate, we're bound for life . . . this is just some trick of Naraku's . . ." She jumped up in shock as another, familiar voice replied to her statement.

"Truly you are pathetic if you ever believed him when he said that to you . . ." Kikyo murmured, stepping silently into the room. "He used you . . . just as he used me . . . all for the Shikon No Tama. Now do you see why I must take him to hell with me? He deserves it . . . for his lies, for his life! At least I never fell for his tricks . . . unlike others who are tainted by him now." Kagome backed into a wall, shaking her head in denial of what the undead miko was telling her.

"You're lying . . . he loves me, he chose me as his mate . . ." Kikyo snorted softly.

"If that is true, then reach out to him . . . use the 'bond' that being his mate gives you," she said softly, her cold eyes watching her reincarnation. Kagome reached for the bond, reached desperately for the comfort it would give her . . . and found it gone.

"No!" she cried desperately, her hands reaching up to clasp her head. "You're lying . . . this is some trick of Naraku's . . ."

"Even Naraku cannot block a mate bond . . . face it, you worthless shadow of me, he lied to you . . . he used you to find the shards and now he will discard you for the useless tool you are." The undead miko turned, motioning to Kanna as she did so. "Face it . . . you should have gone back to your time and stayed there when you had the chance. Now, you are tainted by a demon's seed, and broken by a demon's lies. Now you truly are worthless." In silence, she and the mirror bearing child left . . . leaving behind the weeping figure of Kagome huddled upon the stone floor of her room.

"Inu . . ." she whimpered into the silence.

  
  


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InuYasha's head shot up as he caught a glimmer of despair through the link he shared with Kagome. He stared into the miasma, his golden eyes narrowing before he spun around to face Kagura.

"Leave her here with Kohaku. Kouga, you remain with her." He snarled as Kouga went to protest. "I can feel Kagome . . . something is wrong. Don't argue with me, just do it! We have to get to her, now!" Turning, he stalked off, away from the group, throwing everything he could into the link with Kagome. All his love, all his worry for her, all his concern he pushed into it . . . and felt nothing in return. It was like there was a wall there . . . and Naraku was only allowing certain emotions to go through. Emotion that would send him into a frenzy if he let them. But Sango was right . . . he needed to be thinking clearly. With a last pulse of love and warmth towards his missing mate, he blocked the link. He would not allow Naraku to use their bond against them.

He felt the others join him, and without turning to look at them, he walked into the darkness.

  
  


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Kagome felt cool hands lift her up and place her back on the bed, but she refused to open her eyes. It took too much effort . . . and her heart felt like it was breaking into pieces. Why couldn't she feel InuYasha . . . why couldn't she reach him through their mental bond? She was sure that Kikyo had lied about Naraku's ability to block the mate bond . . . but still, that tiny corner of her mind that had survived nagged at her. Her love with InuYasha was still so new, so tenuous . . . and their history together had been so filled with her believing he loved Kikyo and saw her as nothing but a shard detector . . .

Gentle hands brushed the hair back from her face in soothing motions, a balm to her already overwrought nerves. She opened her eyes slowly, somehow unsurprised to find Naraku leaning over her, his hands brushing her hair back as he gazed down at her solemnly.

"It hurts, does it not . . . to suddenly discover that he's been using you this entire time as a replacement for his beloved Kikyo? And even her . . . he only used her for the jewel, as well. At least I loved her . . . I wanted them both, but in my folly I believed she could never love a twisted person like I was, and that she would never turn the jewel over to me. I allowed my anger and insecurity to cloud my judgement . . . and it lost me both her and the jewel." He sighed, shifting back to lean against the wall nearby as he gazed at her. "But fate has shown me how cold Kikyo was . . . she could never have given me the warmth that I craved . . . unlike you." Leaning down, he brushed his lips lightly against her forehead.

Kagome lay frozen through the feather-light touch, unable to think through the misery that engulfed her, and the surprise of this strange new Naraku she was seeing. As he leaned back, she found her voice, and asked him what she so desperately wanted an answer to.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she moaned, closing her eyes as the pain of her isolation from her mate washed over her again. She sensed Naraku shifting against the wall, and opened her eyes again to meet his concerned, warm gaze.

"Because I do not want to make the same mistake I did before . . ." he murmured. "I want . . . to become human again. To love again . . ." His gaze softened as he looked into her eyes. "You are so warm . . . so full of life and beauty . . . I can not help but want to be with you . . . and so I will use the Shikon Jewel to become human again, and to undue the mistake I made so long ago." He brushed a hand softly over her cheek, lightly caressing the soft skin with his thumb. "I crave your light and your warmth, beautiful Kagome . . . I only hope you can find it in your heart to help redeem a misguided monster like myself." He stood slowly. "Only think on it, beautiful one. Let me help you forget the betrayal of that hanyou . . . with my love." He turned and left the room slowly, leaving Kagome to stare after him in confusion.

"What is going on?" she murmured. "I'm so confused . . . InuYasha, where are you?"

  
  


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InuYasha sniffed carefully, following the faint scent of Kagome that his nose was picking up. The others trailed behind him slowly . . . all but Kouga, who remained outside to guard Kohaku and Kagura. Sesshoumaru was playing rear-guard, his nose being not nearly so keen as his half-brothers was. Thus, it was the youkai lord who first spied the uniform that Kagome had, until recently, been wearing.

"InuYasha!" he called out, stopping the group as he approached the garment. He grimaced as he picked them up and caught a trace of their scent. They smelled of Kagome, Naraku . . . and new death. Silently he held them out to his brother, who's eyes turned a very dangerous shade of red at the sight of them. The red was joined by his unique youkai markings as he caught the scents that engulfed the scraps of cloth.

"If she is truly dead . . . Naraku is going to be in a terrible amount of pain before I ever allow him to see the peace of death . . ." InuYasha growled. He whirled suddenly as the scent of clay and bones caught his attention, his voice dropping into a low octave growl as the figure that scent implied appeared out of the mists.

"Trust me, InuYasha, she is dead to you. Your ill-chosen mate has gone on before you . . . not that she fought it. Or did you know that she desired Naraku?" InuYasha's eyes narrowed as the meaning of her words became clearer to him.

"Kagome would never join him . . ." he growled, his knuckles cracking ominously. In silent response, Kikyo waved a slight figure forward, out of the fog. Kanna approached him cautiously, her mirror held out to him hesitantly. Uncertain, he took a step froward, glancing into the mirror with no small amount of trepidation. A growl escaped his throat as he spied his mate . . . clasped firmly in Naraku's arms.

"So you will free me of him now that I've brought him to you, correct my love?" Kagome whispered as she clung to the figure of Naraku in the mirror.

"As I promised, beloved. As I promised." The figures in the mirror shared a passionate kiss . . . a kiss that rapidly spiraled into something more. With a quick swipe of his claws, the mirror flew into the mists, as far from him as he could send it.

"You lie . . ." he snarled, advancing upon the small mirror bearing youkai menacingly. Kanna simply smiled knowingly, bowed to him, and disappeared into the mists.

"Kanna's mirror is incapable of showing that which is not," Kikyo murmured, stepping forward. "She merely showed you the truth, InuYasha. She has betrayed you . . . all of you. Accept it . . . and accept me again. I still care for you, InuYasha. Come to hell with me . . . let us be together forever, and leave behind all the hurt and suffering this world has caused us." She reached for him, running a gentle hand down his cheek tenderly.

The others could only look on in horror as InuYasha enfolded Kikyo into his embrace.

TO BE CONTINUED

  
  


Authors Notes - oh wow . . . I'm pretty sure I'm going to see some nasty ones for this cliffy . . . I promise, next chapter will be coming along soon . . . perhaps earlier than two weeks if my muse keeps pounding my head like he has been . . . *ducks another smack from Sephiroth*. Oy, okay Seph, I'm going, I'm going. Geesh . . . the man really is a work a holic. At any rate, see you soon, but no later than 2 weeks from now. Let me know what you think, as usual, by leaving a review. I love to hear from you.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	33. Brightening Darkness

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha, or the right's to any of the character. This is a work of fan fiction, made for pure enjoyment and non profit.

Author's Notes - Well all, as you can see, I'm not gone . . . and never will be. Mito, you may have managed to get the lemon's erased from here, but they are still in existence . . . over on my website, where freedom of speech is still a right, not a privilege. So, eat your heart out. I'm still here . . . and so are all my readers : P

Now, then, for my serious reviewers . . . here's the next installment of Starlight and Shadows. A few days late, but you all know why that is . . . and if you don't, take a look in the reviews section and I'll bet you figure it out right away. I will be leaving any flames I receive from now on up . . . that way you all can respond to them on your own, if you choose. I'm pretty sure a good majority of you will enjoy this chapter immensely . . . after all, so many of you have wanted me to do this part : ) so, enjoy the story, and leave a review : ) And, just to make up for the lateness of this last chapter . . . I will put a second chapter up on Friday, a whole week early.

  
  


Chapter 23 - Brightening Darkness

  
  


Gathering her scattered and confused thoughts about her, Kagome rose slowly to her feet, approaching the door with a great amount of trepidation. She reached a hesitant hand out to the door, and recoiled in shock as it opened before her fingers could do more than brush it's surface.

Naraku entered the room slowly, moving with an elegant grace that Kagome couldn't help likening to that of a coiled viper. He glanced at her wordlessly before laying down an array of cloth on the bed. Curious, Kagome approached the bed cautiously, her eyes widening as she beheld an array of kimono's and matching obi's that any princess would have envied.

"Do you like them?" Naraku asked quietly, standing back to watch her as she reached out with a hesitant finger to caress the fine silken items.

"They're beautiful . . ." she murmured, before catching herself. This was Naraku, the enemy . . . wasn't he? Why was he being so nice? She shook her head, backing away from the garments hastily. Where was InuYasha? Why had her mate not come for her yet? Surely he could sense her, smell where she was . . . his keen nose had never failed him before. She turned eyes glistening with unshed tears towards her captor.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered in agony, her arms wrapping around her upper body in an attempt to comfort her already over frayed nerves. "Why are you playing these games?"

She found herself drawn against her will into the arms of the tainted hanyou, pressed against his chest in a pose much too intimate for one's enemy to hold one in. He sighed, his breath puffing warmly against her ear before he answered her desperate question.

"I am not playing games with you, young miko. I desire you, as I have desired no other woman in either of my lives. I crave your warmth, your light and beauty to brighten my darkened existence. The inu hanyou cares naught for you . . . it wounds me to see you so devoted to him when you are nothing more than a tool to him. He uses you while feeding on your love, and in his heart he wants only power. He was never human, as I was, Kagome. He can never show you the love . . . that I can," he whispered into her ear. Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes, his own dark with emotions Kagome couldn't begin to name in them.

Caught in his gaze, puzzled by what she saw there, she did nothing as he leaned in to press his lips hesitantly against hers. The touch was light, barely perceptible, but it caused her to recoil from him faster than if she had been burned. Struggling her way out of his embrace, she backed up to the wall, staring at him in anger, a single hand pressed to her lips. Upon reaching the wall, she drew herself up against it, using it's support to keep her standing. Calling upon strength she wasn't sure she really had, she closed her eyes, and silently pointed to the door.

"Get out," she whispered hoarsely. The whisper of silk and light footsteps signaled Naraku's compliance. As the door clicked shut, Kagome opened her eyes, tears trailing silently down her face as she stared at the ceiling above. Confusion whirled in her mind . . . but with his unbidden kiss had come a glimpse of clarity and sanity. Straightening from the wall, Kagome dropped into a kneeling position, and composed her mind.

  
  


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"Your plan does not appear to be working, Father," Kanna murmured. It was one of the few sentences Kanna had ever spoken . . . and she only ever spoke to him. He found it intriguing usually . . . when Kanna spoke, it was usually with importance. But after Kagome had recoiled from his kiss so harshly, he was in no mood to listen today.

"Be silent, Kanna. She is confused and vulnerable right now . . . soon she will come under my shadow . . . as long as Kikyo holds to her end of the bargain and takes the hanyou to hell with her."

"But she does not trust you, Father. May I suggest something that could help to win her trust?" At this, Naraku turned, his interest caught. Inclining his head, he listened to what his usually silent daughter had to suggest.

  
  


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InuYasha sighed as he brought Kikyo against him, his nose wrinkling in distaste at the smell of bones, clay, and old death. 'This is not Kikyo . . .' he reminded himself. 'It is a walking doll that only contains part of her soul . . . a soul that now rightly belongs to my mate.' He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around the figure in an intimate gesture.

"How long have you known of Kagome's betrayal of me, Kikyo?" he murmured, trying not to growl at the statement he knew was not true. He knew his mate . . . the two of them had been through more together than most could imagine, and it had created a bond of understanding and friendship between them long before their love had been acknowledged and consummated. Kagome would never betray him . . . and especially not with Naraku, who she despised almost as much as InuYasha himself did. As far as he knew, Naraku was the only person out of BOTH worlds that Kagome actually hated. For her sake, he would try to put Kikyo off guard and get as much information as he could.

"She has been unfaithful for a long time now . . . but I have only just discovered it. Naraku merely informed me that she was not to be harmed in any way . . . when I asked him why, he would not answer. It was not until he brought her back here, in his arms that I discovered the truth. Listen to me beloved, and believe . . . she was laughing and dancing at the trickery, watching as you went berserk with concern for her and finding it highly amusing. She only needed to bring you here, and open you up to his attack by making you careless . . . I had to warn you, my love. Come with me, before she destroy's you. Come with me to hell." InuYasha shivered in disgust as he felt her cool fingers tangle in the hair against his neck, his ears flattening with the sheer anger that surged through him at the audacity Kikyo was showing.

"Kagome would never do that!" Sango said angrily, stepping forward. Miroku stood silent, his eyes saying without words that he did not believe Kikyo either. Kikyo glanced up at them, her eyes darkening in anger that they would dare to interrupt her moment of triumph with their petty faith in their friend.

"You are unimportant. Be silent, and leave here with your life . . . what is left of it," Kikyo hissed. Turning, she raised her hands to cup InuYasha's face between them, pressing her cold lips softly to his. She drew back when she felt no response from him. "My beloved, do not worry about them . . . Naraku has Kagome now, and that is all he wanted . . . that, and the jewel shards. It is not your concern any longer . . . come." Power began to gather in iridescent strands as she summoned it to open the gateway to hell.

"Where are Naraku and Kagome now, my love?" InuYasha whispered, his eyes closing drowsily as the ground beneath them began to sink, a glow growing steadily around the embracing pair as Kikyo drew on more power.

"Naraku is in the throne room of course . . . my copy is in her room in the west wing, where she will not be disturbed . . . now, enough of her betrayal InuYasha . . . COME!" Her breath sped out in a shriek of rage as InuYasha drew back from her, his eyes open, alert . . . and glowing with an angry light. He drew back, and in a single, smooth motion, plunged his hand into the figure of the former miko, ignoring her shriek of anger and betrayal.

Slowly he withdrew his hand from her chest, his lips drawn back in a feral snarl as he removed the urn that contained the remains of the living Kikyo . . . the center and heart of the clay doll before him. Eyes the color of fresh spilled blood watched as the body began to disintegrate. The undead miko's eyes focused on him one last time, her lips forming the soundless question of "Why?"

"I am mated, Kikyo, and I trust in my mate," he whispered. "Let your soul now rest in peace." The undead miko's eyes widened one last time . . . and then the entire body disintegrated, the remaining dust whirling in a powerful vortex as blue balls of light shot out of what had once been the reanimated miko. One single ball remained, hovering near InuYasha hesitantly before settling over his heart . . . where it slowly faded into him. He gasped, feeling an unexpected warmth spread through him . . . and then he recognized what it was. It was the feeling he had when Kagome was with him, by his side.

"The piece of Kagome's soul . . ." he murmured, pressing a hand to his heart absently as he stared at the dust that was scattering even now. His head shot up as a new feeling came to him. He knew where Kagome was . . . he could sense her as clearly as if he had her in his sight.

"Come on . . ." he growled, shaking his stunned companions out of their daze. "Kagome is this way."

As the others walked off, Sesshoumaru turned to gaze one final time at the hole in the ground where some of Kikyo's ashes still drifted in the slight breeze.

"Finally, he has ended that part of his life and put it behind him . . ." he murmured, before turning to follow the fading outlines of the party into the drifting miasma.

  
  


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Kagome rose unhurriedly to her feet as the door opened silently, revealing Naraku standing still and quiet on the other side.

"May I come in?" he asked gently. Kagome nodded gracefully, gesturing for him to come into the room as she moved to be seated on the bed. Naraku came to her and knelt at her feet, his eyes solemn and intense as he met hers steadily. Reaching out, he took one of her hands, pressing something cold and hard into it before closing her fingers over it and releasing her. Kagome drew her hand back, opening the fist to find the glittering, incomplete ball of the Shikon Jewel resting there. Also in her hand was the necklace with her small vial of shards . . . a vial that appeared to be a few shards fuller than it had been the last time she had looked into it. She looked questioningly at Naraku, who smiled slightly before rising to his feet.

"The Shikon No Tama belongs in the hands of it's guardian miko . . ." he murmured, gazing thoughtfully down at her. "As you are it's guardian, I thought it best that you continue to hold onto it until we have all of it together. Then I can become human again . . . and perhaps we can both start anew." He turned to go, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm. He turned to find Kagome disturbingly closer to him than he had expected, her eyes wide and trusting as she gazed up at him.

"Thank you . . ." she murmured, her hand gently squeezing his arm. "Perhaps . . . perhaps you are right. I should have known InuYasha only wanted the jewel . . . but I was too blind with my childish love for him to see it. You . . . I think I can trust you, now." Reaching up, rising to her tiptoes, she lightly brushed her lips against his, her cheeks stained a delicate pink as she backed away. Maintaining his composure by a thin thread, Naraku merely nodded in reply before leaving the room. Once in the hall, he allowed a feral smile to emerge, his eyes turning crimson in the dim light.

"I have her now . . ." he hissed, and made his way to his throne room.

Behind him, in the room, Kagome gagged and tried not to vomit at her own acting and the necessity of kissing the fiend that had just left.

"I hope your plan works, Kikyo," she whispered, staring down at the jewel fragments in her hand. "This had better be worth THAT."

Shaking the jewel shards out of the bottle, she placed them in her hand with the incomplete ball of the jewel. Squeezing her hand tightly into a fist until she could feel the sharp edges of the shards biting into her flesh, she concentrated, summoning as much of her power as she could into that one area. Steadily, a glowing white ball grew to encompass her hand and the jewel within. Only when she felt the pain in her hand disappear did she let up and open the fist . . . to discover the fragments had merged into one. She studied the still incomplete jewel carefully, noting how much of it was still missing. Calling to mind the size of Kouga's three shards, she mentally compared what they would amount to with what was still missing . . . and came up somewhat lacking.

"So . . . he wishes me to think that he trusts me and that I should trust him . . . and yet he still keeps at least 6 shards on his person . . ." she murmured thoughtfully, her eyes solemn as she gazed at the Jewel. She raised her eyes to the door in silent contemplation of what was to come, then nodded decisively and walked steadily out of the room. It was time, and if Kikyo was right, everything would be over soon.

To Be Continued . . .

  
  


Author's End Note - well, what did you guys think? Did it live up to your expectations? I hope so : ) Next chapter coming early . . . I'm sure you're all just antsy with anticipation, eh?


	34. Playing for Keeps

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters from InuYasha. They are all the property of Rumiko Takahashi and various other companies . . . but I thank them for the loan.

  
  


Author's Notes - Here you go guys and gals : ) As promised, another chapter of Starlight and Shadows, a week early : ) I know a few of you are reading this and dreading the end, as well as being anxious to see what I'm going to pull out of my sleeve . . . don't worry. We're not all that close to the end yet . . . I'm willing to say five or so more chapters, depending on how things come out. So be appeased . . . there is much more in store, and there may be a sequel.

At any rate, here is the next chapter, and sometime in this next week I will go through my reviews (there are so MANY! Thank you all for that) and get some reply's out, since I haven't done it in a very long time. So, if you have any questions or concerns, put them in your review and I'll get around to answering them. Later, for now : )

  
  


Chapter 24 - Playing for Keeps

  
  


InuYasha paused in mid step as the direction the 'sense' was leading him in suddenly changed. He stood a moment, considering the sudden change, and decided to go with it. At the next turn, he moved into the left corridor, towards the center of the castle, rather than going straight and continuing towards the western wing.

"InuYasha, Kikyo said . . ."

"I know what Kikyo said," he replied, cutting Miroku off in mid sentence. "I'm not following Kikyo's information . . . I'm following my instincts, and they're telling me to go this way. You got a problem with that monk, you can find your own damn way." Miroku's teeth clicked shut at the abrupt remark, and he glared silently at InuYasha's back until Sango lay a gentle hand on his arm.

"Be calm, Miroku. He's worried about Kagome . . . if he thinks we should go this way, then this is the way we should go. Beside, Kikyo was probably lying about where Kagome was as well as everything else." With an agitated sigh and a last irritated glance at the inu-hanyou's back, he nodded and smiled slightly at his love. She returned it gratefully, leaving her hand to rest on his arm as they continued to stalk through the corridors of the illusionary, yet all too real, castle that Naraku had created.

Behind them, Sesshoumaru merely shook his head at the besotted expressions on their faces. It was a good thing InuYasha and himself were on actual guard . . . those two would have been near useless as guards at this point. Finding himself once again drifting down the familiar pathways of his hatred of humans, he forcefully redirected his train of thought. Kagome was a good human, after all . . . and so was her mother, and little Rin. These two weren't so bad . . . if they would stop allowing their obvious adoration of each other to cloud their senses, they would be quite tolerable. 

Raising a graceful hand to brush a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, he wondered again at InuYasha's sudden change of direction. Sesshoumaru could find no trace of Kagome down this hallway . . . the strength of the scent in the old hallway suggested that they had been going the right way. So why had InuYasha chosen to turn from retrieving his mate to this new path? They couldn't finish off Naraku without Kagome . . . Sesshoumaru was sure of that fact, at least. The young miko was powerful . . . and without her powers, the fight could well turn nasty, especially with Naraku's ability to absorb demons. Was he right to trust in his brother's judgement at the moment?

As if sensing his older half-brother's thoughts, InuYasha glanced back over his shoulder, meeting the youkai lord's golden gaze with his own amber one. Silently, Sesshoumaru conveyed his concern . . . and just as silently, InuYasha assured him he knew what he was doing. Shrugging elegantly, the elder inu youkai put aside his questions and followed the rest of the group. He'd come this far . . . what was the sense of turning around now?

  
  


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Kagome walked through the darkened corridors steadily, her feet guiding her as her mind went over what Kikyo had told her . . . and what the two of them had planned together. Naraku was far too strong for any external attack to destroy him . . .but an internal attack could just possibly do it once he was weakened and distracted. The biggest thing was . . . how was she going to get him to take the jewel into himself again?

Lost in thought, she did not realize she had reached the throne room until she was already inside the room . . . behind the throne itself. She halted her footsteps, pausing to get her bearings and figure out where everyone was. There was no sign of the clay doll Kikyo . . . which gave her pause for a moment. Was the walking doll with InuYasha?

She shook the thought from her head almost immediately. InuYasha would never deny her love and go to hell with Kikyo. She knew that and drew it about her like armor. She was his mate . . . he had chosen her, not the undead Kikyo, and no matter what Naraku had done to their link to make her think it no longer existed, she still had the knowledge of his love within her heart. Naraku could not change that. In her panic at being separated both physically and mentally from her mate, he had almost managed to sow the seeds of doubt . . . but they had been banished once she had talked with the spirit of Kikyo that came to her when she dreamed and meditated. 

Her calm was broken when she heard a familiar voice shout across the room from in front of the throne, out of her direct line of sight.

"NARAKU! Where's Kagome?! Return my mate to me now!" InuYasha roared, his sword held at ready as he advanced into the room towards the fiend seated upon the throne.

"Lady Kagome has no wish to be returned to you, inu-hanyou. She has given herself to me, having realized on her own that you never cared for anything but the jewel." Kagome shuddered as she heard the absolute conviction in Naraku's voice. She only hoped InuYasha would forgive her for what she had to do. 

Drawing in a deep breath to steady her nerves and her wits, Kagome stepped out from behind the throne. Immediately, silence blanketed the room as all of it's occupants stared at her sudden arrival.

"Beloved," she murmured to Naraku, seating herself at his feet, one hand resting possessively upon his knee, "I couldn't bear to be apart from you a moment longer. I needed your comforting presence . . . with HIM in the castle." She could almost feel the satisfied smile that crossed Naraku's lips, and she bit back the urge to retch at having to touch him. She had to convince him she was on his side now in order for this to work. She allowed herself one moment to shoot a pleading glance at her mate, begging him with her eyes to understand what she was up to and play along, hoping that he would interpret it correctly.

  
  


*-------*-------*-------*-------*

  
  


Sango, Miroku, InuYasha, and Sesshoumaru stared in silence as Kagome seated herself near Naraku, her side pressing into his leg, one hand draped over his knee in an intimate gesture of possessiveness. 

"Kagome, you can't possibly have believed anything he said about InuYasha!" Sango cried, moving forward to pull Kagome away from the fiend upon the throne. The young miko shrank backwards, pressing into Naraku's legs, as Miroku grabbed Sango's arm and restrained her.

"Look at her, Sango . . . really look," Miroku whispered into her ear, his voice so low that none of the youkai in the room could catch more than a word or two. "She doesn't want to be there anymore than we want her there." Taking her beloved's advice, Sango turned her eyes back to Kagome. Examining her friend carefully, she could see no sign of what Miroku was talking about . . . until she looked into Kagome's eyes. They were filled with revulsion and sorrow . . . and determination. Unless she was interpreting what she was seeing wrong, Miroku was right . . . but what . . .? Miroku's voice broke into her thoughts. " She's up to something . . . I only hope InuYasha sees that as well." He broke off as Kagome replied to Sango's accusation.

"He made me see the truth, Sango. InuYasha has never cared about me . . . heavens, he's never cared about any of us outside of our usefulness in retrieving the jewel shards for him. Didn't you ever wonder about it too, Sango? Why a solitary hanyou who snapped at anyone who got to close to him could suddenly stand to travel with and exist side by side with a group of humans? And then there is my own personal feelings . . . I can't begin to recall the nights I fell asleep crying because I KNEW he would never love me . . . he only wanted me around because I could detect the shards, and because I looked like his beloved, long lost Kikyo! Don't you see . . . it was never about me, he was just binding me closer to him so I could never leave him! Especially not after I discovered the truth!" 

Inwardly, she cringed at her own words, shooting a helpless and apologetic glance towards the object of her rant worriedly. She could feel Naraku becoming more smug and self assured by the minute . . . a few minutes more, and she would be able to get him to accept the jewel again without a second thought. She only hoped that those few minutes wouldn't irreparably damage the remainder of her life with InuYasha . . . if they survived this.

InuYasha stood still as stone, letting Kagome's words wash over him. He felt his rage rising in angry waves of hot emotion . . . but beneath it was a pool of calm that surprised him. He reached for it, even as his eyes began to bleed to red and his cheeks were stained with the lilac stripes of his youkai blood coming out in full force . . . and found it to be that part of Kagome's spirit that resided within him. It reached out to him, enfolding him in that calm, keeping the raging beast that was his youkai half in check and keeping his mind his own. He breathed in deeply, exhaling slowly as it came to him . . . Kagome wasn't saying these things because she believed them . . . she had a plan, and for it to work, she needed Naraku's trust. The red faded, as did his stripes, as he regained mastery over himself with that discovery.

He focused more firmly on his mate, examining her as Sango had done. Her body language radiated the truth of her words . . . but her scent did not. He came to her eyes and caught the glance that confirmed that she was acting for Naraku's benefit. His anger cooled, replaced with calm clarity of purpose. Whatever it was she had planned, he would play along.

"Kagome . . . I love you, I always have," he said, stepping towards her with a hand outstretched. "I was a fool to call you a shard detector only . . . I know that now. Please, Kagome . . . you have to believe me! We TRUST each other!" He saw her eyes widen slightly at the verbal clue that he knew what she was up to and trusted her, and sighed mentally in relief. Then he winced at her next words . . . even though he knew she didn't believe them, they still stung, for once they had been a truth, of sorts.

"You were always comparing me to Kikyo . . . 'Kikyo was smarter than you' 'Kikyo was braver than you' 'Kikyo was a better miko than you'! You didn't love me, you loved HER! I was a fool to believe you!" Kagome had stood in anger now, her body shaking with the force of her 'conviction'. In reality, Kagome was shaking with the strain of having to remain so close to such a source of evil. Her miko powers were rebelling physically now, and she was straining to control them. Turning from InuYasha, she held her hand out, open palmed, to Naraku. Within that palm lay the glittering, nearly complete Shikon No Tama.

"Please, my love . . . I can take no more of this. Take the jewel . . . and finish him, I beg you. Put this farce to an end." She did not struggle as Naraku took the jewel from her, pressing it to his heart before he stood and embraced her in a loving kiss.

"I will end your suffering by destroying him, my beautiful one," Naraku murmured, before releasing her to face off against InuYasha. 

InuYasha had watched the exchange in silence, fighting to control that part of him that told him to rip Naraku's arms off for daring to touch his mate. He exchanged a glance with his brother, gesturing with his eyes that Sesshoumaru should retrieve Kagome. A subtle nod from the youkai lord was his answer, and together as always, the band spread out to do battle for the last time.

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


Author's Notes Again - Well, we're into the final battle . . . not sure how well I'm going to do with the battle scene . . . it's not just one on one, so I'll give it my best shot. I'll see you guys in two weeks . . . and at least it's not a really big cliffy, right?


	35. To My Reviewers

Hello all : ) Well, here it is . . . 732 reviews, and it's time I replied to all of you for the support and inspiration you've all given me : ) So here they are . . . REVIEW RESPONSES! This is from chapter 20 on up . . . since I haven't done it in so long. If you don't see your name mentioned, please know that I still REALLY appreciate your support and reviews. You've all been so wonderful . . . without you, this story would never have gone as far as it has . . . it probably would have ended a long time ago.

Flint, SaiyajinEmpress, Radical Edward, Amehana sono hanyou, NamelessMoonshine, Mdiffin, Silvermoon maru, Dark and Deluted Child, Kats, YamiNeko1, ModernMiko, Twins, awc, Makina Kitsune, moosilver, Botan, The Dark Queen, Lylli Riddle, Roganu-chan, Shizu-chan, Higurashi Kagome, Thy-Kimi, Tsukinoko1, Moonfairy2000, Kats02980416, nekura, Phoenix of the Burning Light, ayumi, Hanyou-Girl25, eddie4, inuficcrzy, Kats, CorruptedAngel, nataku, Lunatic Pandora 1, dark akira, Blue Dreamer2, Papaya, slvrstarlight, Saro, animeangelstar2000, Corran Nackatori, YamiNeko1, WhitneyLin, cheler, Kinky Usagi, shinna, ambereyes/yosei, kittydemon, Chisaii Angeli, Kaze Megami Kei, kawaii monkey hanyou, sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu, animechick518, ali, Kalokagathos, Little Girl, Mai, julia, mysteriousspirit, The perpetually perky GC-anime frEAK, foureyedbookworm, JouninKakashi, Kyron, Angelstars, Tracey Claybon, Reina-chan, la petite nanna, Angel Kitty, chat, Kat Morning, holynarf, Twister, Alba, arrow-card, serene11, AleGnA, Leomae108, gigi-chan, jessica, GoldenEyes86, Sawdust monster, Makina, Mharie, youkai chick supreme, Leina, deluded_fruitcup, holly, Anandria, Sailor Saturn2, bonessasan, Japan T.M, personthing, Hope and Harmony, Merith, Lachesis, Arsenal, MikkY, EarthDragonette, onnie, bri2cool, Yasha-chan, Mizu, depressed-girl001, Alex, LadyWyrsa, Cristina, PixiesOfTheNight, inuchick, kitsune-balloon, Nite1, Aile Anna, Akina/WhitneyLin, Kenkaya, Rockchika, eien_kiseki, Daishi MkII, ChasingMaybe, SiilverStarWing, Voilinchick, Kdogg218, Peapod, Ginny, Kirara1, koinu-no-ai, Demon11, ladycat624, Inu_Demon_Girl, choco1207, bebe-jinx, cellie, Eartha, Crashing-and-Burning, psycho king, AnimeAngelx, Chichirie4488, Aki, Cerulean, anime-girl04, Twister, sailorpsychosis, saiyanblack, dark-coyote, brittany, Static Wolf, Queen of Blades, amber-hanyou, Mishi4, bigwooshin, Patchcat, psycho king, Dia, Flamer Exterminator (cough / giggle), VioletRose4, Papilionaceous, angelfiend, Ariane Adora, Inuyashafan, squeakyinuears - 

  
  


*gulps in a huge breath of air* Dang . . . just writing out that list was time consuming, and that's only from chapter 20! WOW! *eyes wide* I had NO idea I had this many readers . . . .holy *mumble mumble mumble*. Okay, here is my thanks to you all . . . . bear with me, I'm in a really quirky mood. If I missed you and you don't see your name listed . . . it's because my eyes were starting to go screwy on me. I'm still thinking of you too : )

  
  


BEGIN

  
  


Once upon a time, there was a bored, slightly lonely individual with nothing but a lot of time on her hands while she sat and watched her kids all day long. Staying up late one night, she happened across Cartoon Network . . . and discovered InuYasha. Being an anime lover, she sat down to watch . . . and found herself completely entranced. After watching a few more episodes, she decided that the first episode had not been a fluke . . . she liked the whole thing! She set out to hunt down any and all information she could on the internet. While browsing this no man's land of information . . . she ran across a website that had fanfiction on it. Intrigued, she sat down and began to read . . . and read, and read some more. 

After several days of reading both GREAT fanfiction . . . and not so great fanfiction . . . a lightbulb came on. She would write one of her own! She set out to do as much background reading as she could (including reading nearly every single InuYasha fanfiction on FF.Net . . . yes, I actually did that, although I didn't review at the time . . . I was absorbing information too quickly.) She wanted to be sure that the story she wrote would be a totally original plot line . . . not something someone else had wrote. Finally, after a month of reading and hesitant writing (at my dining room table with Linkin Park playing in my ears at full blast . . . my husband was ready to kill me) Starlight and Shadows was born.

Now came the sticky part . . . posting it where it could be read by other people. Said newborn authoress had never written ANYTHING that would be posted for people to read . . . all her writing up to this point had been kept closely secret and read by only her closest friends. Understandably, she was terribly nervous. Finally, she did it . . . and waited for the fall out to begin. She decided that, if after 5 chapters no one liked it, it would be removed . . . and kept in her files.

Surprises came when the reviews began . . . and people wanted more! She was elated, ecstatic . . . and amazed. People actually liked her work, and wanted more? Was this true? Was it possible? This was something totally unexpected.

Now, here Starlight and Shadows is . . . . 24 chapters posted, and still going . . . and still getting reviews. And all because of the reviewers.

  
  


END

  
  


So, in un diluted and unfancy wording . . . THANK YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH! You guys have been my strength, my nerve, my resolve . . . my inspiration. You . . . ALL OF YOU! . . . have kept this story going : ) If not for all of you, I would have withdrawn and probably never have posted again. Words really cannot express my gratitude and care for each and every one of you that have given me words of praise, given me ideas and creative criticism . . . if I could put all of you in a room, I would shower you with confetti and huge hugs (and inu dolls of course). You guys have meant a whole lot to me, and I can't even begin to tell you of it. The number of times I have woke up in the morning to rush to the computer so I could read your reviews . . . the number of times I have laughed until I fell off my chair at some of those reviews . . . I can't even begin to count. 

So, to all of you, I give you a HUGE thanks and a great big hug . . . you guys are great, and I love you all for it. I will miss you when Starlight comes to an end . . . but, all good things must come to an end, and because of you, more stories will be coming from this creative well spring that you helped to open up. I only hope that all of you will enjoy my other stories as much as you've enjoyed this one . . . and don't worry : ) There is still more Starlight and Shadows to come before the story ends.

Be safe all, and my care goes with you. You're all the best : )

  
  



	36. The Final Battle

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha. I can keep dreaming though, right?

Author's Notes - FINALLY! Cartoon Network put InuYasha back on! WOOHOO! *does a happy dance* All I can say is it's about damn time. I've been starving for new episodes.

Well, here it is . . . the next chapter, and the beginning of the final battle. As you all know, battle scenes are not exactly my forte . . . and battle scenes with multiple opponents are just plain horrendous. It took me a whole two weeks to write this one . . . I kept going back and changing things. So, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy.

On a more somber note . . . I have a new one-shot up. The story is called "Not Happily Ever After" . . . and it's very angsty and depressing. If that's not enough . . . it's based on events happening to a good friend of mine right now . . . so if you guys don't mind going through a box of tissues, go over and read it. I think you'll find it worthwhile . . . if you can get past your tears.

And, in closing . . . before you people try to kill me for taking so long to get to the story . . . I'm dedicating this chapter to my girl Shylie too. Hope it helps get your mind off certain problems . . . if you like, you can think of Naraku as a certain annoying cousin : )

And now, on with the story.

  
  


Chapter 25 - The Final Battle

  
  


Naraku laughed as he watched InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku spread out before him, fanning out to hit him on all sides in a simultaneous attack. He had no need to call on the jewel Kagome had given him so trustingly . . . his power now would be more than enough. The jewel would be held in reserve . . . he did not want to exhaust it's power on such a puny and insignificant task as this fight.

With his attention centering on the opponents before him, Naraku failed to see Sesshoumaru catch Kagome off to the left and behind him.

"Are you well, Lady Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, steadying her on her feet as she staggered away from Naraku.

"I've definitely been better . . . gods, I feel like I'm going to be sick," she muttered, waving a hand weakly in front of her. "Please Sesshoumaru . . . get me back out of the way. I have to concentrate if this is going to work. The others only have to work him up to the point where he actually taps into the jewel . . . from there I can handle the rest."

"I will not bother to ask what it is you are about, for I suspect it would take too long for you to explain," Sesshoumaru replied as he helped her into a far corner of the room, watching absently as she settled into a meditative position. "I only hope it works. I shall go assist the others." She nodded in reply, already dropping into a meditative state as the youkai lord moved to join the battle that was already underway.

InuYasha had led the way into battle, as always, Tetsusiaga fully transformed and humming with the latent power the hanyou's father had bestowed into it. Not far behind him was Sango with her boomerang held in front as a shield/weapon, and Miroku came on with his staff held at ready. All of them were alert and ready for any tricks Naraku might pull . . . they had seen dozens of them from facing his puppets, but rarely had they faced Naraku himself. They weren't entirely sure what to expect, so came on warily, prepared for anything. 

Thus, it caught none of them off guard when he erupted into a mass of dark tentacles, the tendrils shooting out on all sides to attack all of them at once. The dance began, the group dodging and weaving, hacking and demolishing any that came too near. Naraku himself merely laughed maniacally at thier antics, finding them amusing, but not at all a danger. That laughter died abruptly when a certain boomerang came to close to hitting his center.

"Exterminator . . . you will die as your clan died!" the fiend hissed, his eyes flaring crimson. Sango found herself suddenly beset on all sides by the squirming tentacles of darkness. Rolling to one side, and under one attack, she found herself directly in the path of another. Suddenly, something shoved her out of the way of the oncoming attack. Hitting the ground painfully, having been unable to land properly from the surprise of the movement, she turned to see Miroku deflect that attack with his staff. 

InuYasha was hard into battles of his own with a dozen or so tentacles. Every tentacle that went his way met with the blade of Tetsusiaga or his claws, but more replaced them with each destruction. 'This is getting REALLY annoying . . .' he thought, demolishing more tentacles with a single swipe. He couldn't clear enough of the wriggling things to give him time to concentrate on the Wound of the Wind, which meant his swords true power was getting no use. Growling in frustration, he leapt on high, trying to get over and clear of the writhing mass to get at Naraku's main body. He hadn't judged on Naraku's speed, however, and abruptly found himself enfolded in a dozen of the squirming things. One had wrapped around his wrist, tightening to the point where he was forced to drop Tetsusiaga. 

Suddenly, Sango's boomerang was flying his way, cutting through the tentacles holding him and leaving a wide swathe of damage in it's wake. Not expecting the sudden freedom, the hanyou landed painfully, dislocating a shoulder as he landed on it and rolled away from the growth's already moving his way. He grunted, but continued to roll . . . until Naraku got lucky and speared a thigh with one appendage.

InuYasha howled as agony flared through his leg . . . and watched in horror as more moved to finish him off. A blur of white intercepted them . . . and the hanyou found himself staring into his half-brothers eyes as Sesshoumaru quickly destroyed the tentacle pinning him to the ground. Standing quickly with a hand from the youkai lord, he nodded his thanks, ignoring the pain from his leg and moving back into the battle, Sesshoumaru at his side.

Kagome tried to block the sounds of the battle from her consciousness, reaching for the pool of calm that rested below the surface of her mind. This battle . . . and the lives of her friends and her mate . . . counted on her being able to connect with the essence she had left in the Shikon No Tama. She had to be able to reach it. Her concentration shattered as she heard InuYasha howl in pain. Her eyes shot open, watching in fear as the tentacles raced towards him as he lay helpless, pinned to the floor . . . and she heaved a sigh of relief when Sesshoumaru saved him from what would have been certain death. Quickly, she looked for Miroku and Sango . . . and found them battling back to back off to one side of the room. 

Getting visual confirmation that they were okay, she closed her eyes again, reaching for the calm she so desperately needed. Slowly, the sounds of battle receded, leaving her in a pool of unnatural stillness. She reached for the Jewel that rested in Naraku . . . and slowly drew the other peices he had towards it.

Sango shot a glance towards Kagome, seeing that her friend was safely out of harm's way, and appeared to be deep in meditation. 'Whatever she has planned, I hope she does it soon . . .' she thought to herself. She could feel Miroku at her back, lending her a stability in battle she had never truly appreciated before. This was her reason for living . . . this group of friends who had come to mean so much to her . . . and the little brother that Kagome had restored to her. With that thought to strengthen her, she redoubled her efforts, strengthening her tiring limbs with the love and friendship she had been shown.

A sudden pause in the fighting threw them all off guard . . . and then Naraku was striking faster and harder then he ever had. Caught completely by surprise, Miroku stumbled and went down . . . leaving Sango's back wide open to attack. She screamed as agony flared through her back, spinning to find the source of the agony . . . and tearing the tentacle that had speared her from her back. She staggered as a wave of dizziness assailed her . . . and she knew that the wound was serious. The demon exterminator struggled to stay on her feet . . . but the sudden weakness in her limbs forced her to drop her primary weapon. Dropping to her knees as blackness washed over her, she knew that this was the end of the battle for her. She only hoped . . . that she would wake up again.

Miroku howled in rage as Sango went down. Struggling to his feet, he fought his way to her unconscious form, standing over it protectively, his staff jingling musically as he defended himself and his love from the tainted hanyou. Without Sango at his back, however, it was harder to keep up with the fury of Naraku's attacks . . . it wasn't long before he too went down under the assault.

"I love you Sango . . ." he whispered, before the dark claimed him as well.

InuYasha saw them go down under Naraku's assault. Snarling, he redoubled his efforts, hacking and slashing beside his brother. At last, the inu youkai brother's were united as one force . . . and that truly was a force to be reckoned with. The speed and agility of both made it impossible for Naraku to land any finishing blows . . . but both wore bloody welts and wounds to attest to Naraku's own capabilities. 

Naraku snarled as more and more of his apendages fell to the relentless onslaught of the youkai brothers. This fight should not have been this difficult . . . they were imperfect beings, flawed by thier caring of humans. He did not stop to think about his own deep seated desire for Kagome . . . she was not a normal human being, but a miko and a powerful one at that. In his mind, this raised her far above the rest of humanity. He could feel her presence, and smiled grimly at it. She was feeding him more power, draining herself into the jewel to allow him to prevail. How easily she had been tricked . . . Kanna had been correct in her suggestion of giving her the jewel. Now he had more power than ever at his disposal . . . but still, he waited to use it. He wanted to finish off the annoying hanyou himself, without all these wriggling pieces of self in the way. He would kill InuYasha face to face . . . and before the hanyou died, he would know that he had lost not only his life, but his mate. His smile grew feral at that thought, but he was forced once again to return his attention to the fight.

At last, with a growl of pain filled anger, Sesshoumaru fell, Naraku having managed to pin him into a corner. InuYasha was beside him in an instant, not really aware that the tentacles were withdrawing as he knelt beside the half-brother who had been an enemy until recently.

"InuYasha . . ." Sesshoumaru gasped, blood trickling slightly from the corner of his mouth as he fought to breathe around the gaping hole that had been his chest. His armor lay in shattered pieces around him, the long silver hair lying fanned out in a pool of spreading blood. "You truly are . . . the inheritor of our father's blood. I was wrong . . . to have acted on my jealousy of you as I did. I only hope . . . that you will avenge . . ." His voice faded into a whisper as the light in his golden eyes died, leaving him to stare blindly at the ceiling above.

"I will . . . and I'll see you as soon as I get rid of Naraku for ever," InuYasha whispered, laying his half-brother's corpse back gently. Turning, his eyes bleeding into the deep red of his full youkai form, he snarled at the tainted hanyou who stood silently near the throne, a sickening smirk on his angular face. He held a blade in his hands . . . a blade that pulsed with darkness as the Tetsusiaga pulsed with light. 

"And so, it is down to the 'half-breeds', is it not? Fitting, I think, that it should come down to you and me . . . you, who have stood in the way of my plans for far too long." Arrogantly, Naraku beckoned with his blade. "Come then, inu hanyou . . . come and meet your death."

Snarling, InuYasha charged into battle, Tetsusiaga held high and prepared to strike. Naraku was correct . . . it was fitting that it should come down to them - and Kagome. The final phase had begun . . . and the tale had come full circle. Naraku had divided Kikyo and InuYasha, turning them against one another in his bid for the Shikon Jewel and Kikyo's heart. Now, they would meet in face to face battle for the reincarnation of the very same woman . . . but this time, love would prove stronger, because it was based on trust and friendship, not a mutual need and longing. This time . . . Naraku would lose. InuYasha swore that . . . to himself, to his mate, to the soul of the woman he had wronged; to Miroku, who's life had been tainted by this menace; to Sango, who's family had died in Naraku's sick and twisted games. He swore it to his half-brother, to young Rin, to Shippo . . . and to the heaven's above and the world below . . . this time Naraku would die at his hands. This time, the cycle would end . . . forever.

To Be Continued

  
  


Author's Notes - Well . . . I hope it wasn't too bad *grimace*. Ye gods was I paranoid about releasing this . . . oh hell, what am I saying, was. I still am! Ah well . . . I can't keep changing and rearranging the damn thing forever, now can I? Especially since a good majority of you would probably kill me if I didn't let you read it : ) Anyway, see you guys in two weeks with the next chapter . . . until then, if you haven't already, go look at my other stuff. Be well all . . . and for those of you going back to school . . . good luck : )


	37. Blinding Light

Disclaimer - I don't own them. But I can wish.

  
  


Author's notes - Back with another chapter of the final battle scene. Hope you all enjoy it. Not many author's notes this time around . . . other than THIS IS NOT THE END! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I have a bit more in store for the group : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 26 - Blinding Light

  
  


Kagome felt InuYasha's mounting rage and his conviction, and tried not to let it disrupt her concentration. Naraku was so tuned in to the battle, he had no idea as to exactly what it was she was doing. Everything was going according to plan . . . except for the fact that Naraku didn't seem to be willing to tap into the jewel.

"Come on . . ." she murmured softly, her eyes closed to the battle before her. She could feel Naraku's focus narrowing in on her mate . . . and prayed that his life would not end before she could make her move. She knew Sango and Miroku had gone down . . . she had felt the surge of triumph as Naraku had felt it. It took all she had not to lose her concentration when Sesshoumaru went down as well, leaving only InuYasha to push Naraku into making his final mistake. 'Please . . .' she prayed silently, 'Please . . . help me! Midoriko, guardian spirit of the jewel, Kikyo . . . help me do this!' Surprisingly, she felt a brief flash of warmth from the jewel. Had it heard her prayer? Was the soul of Midoriko still within it after all? Shaking her head, she banished these stray thoughts from her consciousness. They would not help her do this . . . they could only allow her failure . . . and she could not fail. She would not allow it.

Blinding flashes of light came from each connection of blade on blade as the two hanyou's battled back and forth across the now open throne room floor. Seeing an opening, InuYasha pressed his attack, swinging the Tetsusiaga up and over Naraku's guard, bringing it down on his shoulder with every ounce of strength he possessed. The arm separated in a spray of black blood, and InuYasha smiled ferally as a grimace of pain and annoyance crossed his opponents features.

"You will pay for spilling my blood, dog . . ." Naraku hissed. InuYasha's smile of pleasure turned to a grimace as the arm he had just severed arose on a wave of darkness and reattached itself to the tainted hanyou.

"Damn you to hell . . ." the silver haired hanyou growled, "don't you know when to quit?!" He pressed into the battle again, trying to find some leverage against the fiend who had cost him so much in his life.

"You cannot kill me, InuYasha . . . the one thing that gave you an advantage over me is on my side now . . . your precious mate will never know that I played her as I played Kikyo so long ago." He smiled nastily over his blade as he blocked attack after attack, but made no move to reclaim the offensive. "No one could ever love you as you are . . . Kagome fell into my trap as easily as Kikyo did. I promised her that I would become human for her . . . what have you ever promised her, dog? What kind of love could she have with you as you are . . . you are immortal, and she is not. But I will change that . . . once you are dead, she will belong to me . . . mind, body, and soul!" InuYasha merely growled and increased the tempo of the battle, swinging faster and harder then he had ever battled in his existence.

"I . . . will not . . . listen . . . to you!" he snarled, baring his fangs angrily at his inability to get past Naraku's guard again.

"No . . . you are too stupid to realize the truth when you hear it . . ." Naraku growled in reply. At last, he went on the offensive, forcing InuYasha back on his heels in an effort to keep the dark sword from getting anywhere near him. Step for step they battled, neither getting the upper hand in a fight that would inevitably end in one of them lying dead on the floor.

Suddenly, InuYasha tripped, realizing too late that Naraku had been maneuvering him around the floor the whole time, keeping him distracted with his taunts. The hanyou found himself suddenly sprawled on his back, Sango lying under his legs, Tetsusiaga having flown from his hand, staring up into death. He froze as the point of Naraku's sword hovered unerringly over his heart, staring up with utter hatred into the tainted fiend's crimson eyes.

"And now it ends, you annoyance . . ." Naraku hissed, raising his sword to strike. A blur of motion swept behind him, spinning the dark hanyou around as Kouga entered the fray.

"GET TETSUSIAGA!" he snarled to InuYasha as he dodged an infuriated Naraku, barely keeping out of range of the sword as he played a deadly game of tag. InuYasha sprang to his feet, looking around wildly for his father's fang as Kouga kept Naraku busy. Finally, he spied it a short distance away, and dove for it, just as an ear splitting howl echoed through the room. Sword in hand, InuYasha spun around . . . and stared in horror.

Naraku was summoning the remaining jewel shards out of Kouga . . . slowly and painfully, from the looks of it. InuYasha charged, but it was too late. His shards removed, Kouga could not get out of the way of the descending blade . . .and died impaled upon it's deadly point. He sent one last look at InuYasha . . . before the light died in his eyes and he fell back, limp.

Naraku laughed, a harsh cackling that caused the hairs on the back of InuYasha's neck to stand up, and his ears to flatten to his skull. He turned to InuYasha slowly, the now corrupted jewel shards cupped in his hand before he pressed them to his heart. 

"I have the entire jewel now, hanyou," he whispered hauntingly, as the shards absorbed into his body. "You will never defeat me!"

"I'm going to give it a damn good try though," InuYasha replied. He went on guard, searching for the wound in the wind . . . if he could just get it off once, it might give him time to retrieve the jewel. InuYasha had long forgotten about whatever it was his mate was doing . . . rage had made him careless, as Naraku had wanted all along. He watched as Naraku drew himself up . . . and then the fiend simply disappeared.

InuYasha looked around wildly . . . and then howled as pain flared through his back, Naraku's sword twisting as he pulled it back out of the body before him. He turned, dodging the second attack, and continued to dodge and block defensively. His timing was off though . . . Naraku was landing more hits every moment that this battle lasted. It had to end, and soon . . . and it looked like he would fail after all. 'I'm sorry Kagome . . .' he thought, a pang of regret shooting through him. At least he hadn't left her without telling her how he felt.

Suddenly, the air changed. Naraku drew back, a hand reaching out to the hanyou that stood wearily before him, a sick grin twisting his handsome features.

"Why not . . ." he whispered darkly, "Why not use your precious jewel to finish you off?" InuYasha squirmed as an invisible hand reached out and wrapped around him. It felt as if he was being squeezed together and torn apart at the same time. The agony was blinding, pain wracking his limbs and mind as Naraku at last tapped into the dark energy of the Shikon no Tama to finish off his final and most annoying opponent.

Kagome's eyes shot open as she felt Naraku tap into the jewel. It was followed by a wave of anguish from InuYasha, one that nearly made her fall backwards, her stomach dry heaving at the sheer agony that radiated through their link. She stubbornly pushed through it, praying it would not distract her in this final moment, the last chance they had. Tears glimmered in her eyes from the fall of her friends and ally's . . . they would remain dead if she didn't succeed in this. Using that thought as a shield, she managed to block out the undiluted pain that was coming from her mate. Rising to her feet, she centered herself . . . and pushed all her purifying energy through the link she had with the jewel.

It began as a burning, a light appearing in Naraku's chest as the jewel began to burn him from the inside out. 

"WHAT!?" he snarled, staggering back, dropping his hold on the limp form of InuYasha as his chest erupted in pain. "What is happening to me?!" he howled. Then it dawned on him. He spun to face Kagome, staring wild eyed at the intense look of hatred on her face. "But . . . you said that . . ." he whispered hoarsely, clutching at his chest as he fought to regain control of the jewel within him.

"You are not the only one who can lie and manipulate people, Naraku . . ." Kagome said . . . but it was not Kagome's voice. Not entirely. It was hers . . . and Kikyo's - but there was another voice in there that Naraku could not identify.

"Who . . . who are you?" he whispered hoarsely, struggling to stay on his feet as he felt the jewel heat up further. He staggered into the throne, using it to maintain his feet as he stared at this woman he both knew and did not know. The burning was spreading now, flowing through his body like light stabbing through darkness.

"We are Kagome . . . we are Kikyo . . . we are Midoriko, who gave her life that the world be safe from the evil you are attempting to become . . ." Kagome said, her hands lifting further, shining with an eery white light that flickered and shone as she moved towards him. Naraku shook his head in disbelief.

"No . . . it's impossible . . ." he snarled. Looking down, he saw the same white light beginning to bleed through his hand. "What are you DOING to me!?"

"Purifying you . . . as I have purified the jewel," the Kagome / not Kagome replied. "You tried to taint the jewel with your darkness . . . as you tried to taint it's guardian. But this time you failed . . . for this girl holds both the power of truth and love, and the strength to hold on to it, even in the face of pain and despair." The young miko stopped in front of him, staring down at him pityingly as he collapsed back into the throne. "You will die now, Onigumo . . . you and the thing you have become. Hope only that the god's will forgive you your sins . . . for they are many."

InuYasha had managed to pull himself painfully to his knees, every muscle and joint in his body screaming in protest as he watched the scene unfolding before him. White light was beginning to appear everywhere on the tainted hanyou . . . spreading out from his chest like a disease of purity that would swallow him whole soon. His arms and legs shone with it, small patches of light appearing through the darkness of his body like some sort of abnormal rash that was spreading too quickly to be counteracted. Even as he watched, Naraku was trying to pull his miasma into him, the darkness trying to surround him in a healing cocoon . . . and as surely as it was trying to surround him, it was steadily being burned away by the light that was radiating from him.

His eyes traveled to his mate, standing over the tainted hanyou, an expression of pity, concentration, and pure hatred marring her features. The light emitting from her was becoming blinding to look at.

"No . . . please . . ." Naraku whimpered, feeling the burning spread through out his body as Kagome stood silently watching him. "Kagome . . . I did not lie . . . I have desired you for so very long . . ." He looked up in shock when it was simply Kagome's voice that answered him.

"You may have desired me . . . as you desired Kikyo. And I forgive you for that. But I cannot forgive you for the pain you have caused so many who are dear to me. Miroku, Sango . . . InuYasha. He offers me something you could never give, Naraku. He offers me his heart . . . something you ceased to have a long time ago, before you ever became what you are now. Go now into whatever awaits you." Her voice abruptly changed back into the three in one that it had been before. "For your sins, you will face judgement. For your darkness, you will face the harsh light of truth."

InuYasha covered his eyes as the blinding white light suddenly erupted from Naraku's form. He flattened his ears, protecting them from the shriek of agony that rushed from the tainted hanyou's throat as he was purified from within by the object of his own greed and obsession. He remained like that until gentle hands pulled his hands from his sensitive eyes.

"Kagome . . ." he whispered, staring into the clouded blue eyes of his beloved . . . his mate . . . in both wonder and fear that it was not completely Kagome still. 

"InuYasha . . ." Kagome whispered, her voice her own once more . . . before she collapsed into his waiting arms. He breathed a sigh of relief, pulling her against him tightly as he buried his face in her hair. It was over.

  
  


TO BE CONTINUED *giggles insanely*


	38. Nothing is Ever the End

Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha. That is a good thing for some of you, yes?

  
  


Author's Notes - I'M BAAAACCCCKKKKKKKKK! Yep, here I am, and as promised, here are TWO new chapters of Starlight and Shadows, my apology for making you wait nearly 3 months. Now, to find out how many of you are still interested and how many of you I've lost . . . damn non-internet accessing capable computer! Well, here they are, and don't forget to review . . . let me know that you haven't forgotten me.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 27 - Nothing is Ever the End

  
  


He cradled his mate gently in his arms, picking her up and moving her to a soft patch of grass a good distance away from the battlefield. Sighing as he put her down, he smoothed a few stray strands of hair back from her sleeping face, a gentle smile passing briefly over his lips as he allowed his pride and love to come through the rough exterior he presented to the world.

She had done well . . . more than even he had expected of her. He meant to have a good long talk with her about kissing Naraku however . . . there had to have been some way of getting Naraku to trust her completely without having kissed him. That was worse than if she had ever allowed Kouga to kiss her!

Speaking of the mangy wolf . . . InuYasha rose slowly back to his feet, approaching the prone wolf lord cautiously, his nose to the wind, looking for a trace scent of life. There was none. Growling at how moronic the wolf was for getting himself killed, InuYasha turned to his brother . . . and the sword that was the twin of his own Tetsusiaga. Made from their father's second fang, it's powers were what he needed now . . . if he could master them.

Absently, he wondered why the sword had not protected his brother when Naraku had attacked him. Usually, Tensiaga would have kept Sesshoumaru from dying . . . it had before, after all, when InuYasha and the youkai lord had faced off as InuYasha was learning to harness the Wind Scar. So why hadn't it done so now?

He hesitated momentarily before sliding the sword out of the sheath at his brother's side. It pulsed once, much as Tetsusiaga had done when it had first accepted him as it's wielder and started working for him. He examined the blade carefully, but could find nothing amiss. So why hadn't Tensiaga protected Sesshoumaru?

InuYasha turned his attention to the sheath . . . and found the source of the problem. A long, jagged crack ran down the length of the sheath . . . Naraku must have hit it at one point during the battle. Knowing how unspoiled Tetsusiaga's own sheath was to contain the blade, he could only assume that Tensiaga-7/+++++++++++++'s sheath was ensorceled as well and that somehow, the crack in the sheath had interfered with it's magic. Now, if only the sword would work for him.

Holding it as he had seen his brother do, he concentrated on the sword . . . and watched as the real world became fuzzy around him. Imps appeared near his brother's body, crawling like insects over the fallen youkai lord. Disgusted, InuYasha swung at them with Tensiaga, watching as they disintegrated before the blade. He nearly jumped back in shock as his brother gasped loudly, drawing in a haggard breath as the life returned to his body.

Amber met gold in confusion before coming to rest on the sword clutched in InuYasha's hand. Understanding replaced confusion in moments, and Sesshoumaru nodded his thanks before attempting to stand. He found himself held in place by his brother's hand.

"You shouldn't move yet. I'll handle the others . . . you take care of that wound of yours," the hanyou murmured, before moving off to check on Miroku and Sango. They were both alive, but in terrible shape. Unable to do anything for them but bind their wounds and move them, he did so, placing them beside Kagome on the patch of grass before moving to Kouga. As much as he disliked the wolf lord, Kagome would never forgive him if he left him dead . . . besides, he owed Kouga a debt, and this would pay it in full.

He turned from reviving Kouga . . . and his heart stopped. There was a soft glow surrounding Kagome . . . a glow that was too similar to that of the Shikon No Tama for his liking. That jewel had caused him more trouble in his life for him to ever desire the thing again, and he held more dislike for it now than he had ever held for anything else . . . even Kouga.

He approached his glowing mate slowly . . . and came to an abrupt halt when a transparent figure appeared beside her. The figure was familiar, a priestess dressed in armor, her flowing black hair and robes still and silent even in the light breeze that was clearing Naraku's miasma away.

"Midoriko . . ." InuYasha murmured. The figure acknowledged her name with a brief bow of her head. "Why are you here?"

"To set things to rights, as they should be," she murmured, her voice as fragile as spun glass as it whispered on the wind. "She does not belong here, InuYasha." Horror and anger crossed his features as he realized what she was saying.

"No! She's my mate . . . we belong together! You can't . . ."

"I must," Midoriko whispered, breaking him off mid-sentence. "For everything to be restored in it's proper order, she must return where she belongs. She does not belong to this time and place . . . this soul died fifty years ago, and must be returned to the time it was reincarnated in. I am sorry." She began to fade away . . . as did the figure of Kagome lying prone beside her.

"No!" the hanyou howled, lunging towards the translucent figures. His hand passed through the warrior priestess easily . . . and through Kagome.

"NO! KAGOME!!" he howled, dropping to his knees where his mate had lay. He clawed at the ground, digging at as if to reach her wherever Midoriko had taken her. It took both Kouga and Sesshoumaru, working together in silence, to pull him away.

  
  


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Kagome woke slowly, feeling an unfamiliar softness beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly, bringing into focus a familiar white ceiling who's lines and minor imperfections she knew by heart. She sat up in shock, her eyes wide as she stared around the familiar surroundings of her room. She was back in her time . . . how did that happen?

"InuYasha?" she whispered hoarsely, hoping against the dread in her heart that he had brought her here. Silence met her ears, unbroken by his familiar gruff response or the thud of his footsteps upon the wooden floor.

A glimmer of light caught her attention. Standing slowly, she walked to her desk, and picked up the completed Shikon No Tama. It's light pulsed faintly in her hand, and she spun to face the translucent figure of Midoriko.

"Hello priestess of the Shikon No Tama," Midoriko murmured, bowing softly to the stunned young miko.

"Midoriko . . ." Kagome murmured, surprise etched into her features.

"Yes," the former warrior priestess replied. "I wished to thank you for freeing me before I moved on to what ever it is the god's have in store for me. You are a brave soul, young Kagome . . . which is why I know you will survive this newest hardship."

"What new hardship? What do you mean?" It dawned on her suddenly. "No!" she whispered brokenly. "I don't belong here! InuYasha . . . the others . . . I belong with them! Why did you bring me back?"

"This is your time and place, Lady Kagome, not the Feudal Japan that you have spent so much time in. You belong here . . . the god's have decreed it, and so it must be. I am sorry . . . but you will find love again."

"No!" Kagome yelled, startling even herself with the loudness of it in the silence. "I will not except this . . . InuYasha is my mate! I will not leave him alone back there to fall back into the misery and self recrimination your so called gods have condemned him to for most of his life!" Turning, she ran from the room, the Shikon No Tama clutched tightly in her hands as she sped out of the house towards the well.

"I am sorry . . ." the warrior priestess whispered, before disappearing.

Kagome arrived at the well, and without hesitation she jumped. The landing was rough, bruising her knees as she fell to them as the well refused to open for her as it had in the past.

"No . . . oh no, please," she cried, tears flowing from her eyes in silent streams as she struck at the ground with her fists. "Let me through, damn you . . . I have to get to him!" She continued to beat on the ground, unaware of the stones and sticks that scratched and bit deep, drawing blood as she tried desperately to claw her way back to her mate and her friends.

It was many hours later that her grandfather found her, huddled into a shivering ball at the bottom of the well, her heartbroken sobs wracking her slight frame with their force as she cried for herself . . . and for the love that had been denied her.

  
  


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"How is he?" Sango murmured, drawing Miroku out of hearing range from the silent figure that kept vigil over the well that had once brought him his salvation.

"The same," the houshi replied, turning concerned eyes towards the object of their conversation. "He won't eat . . . I can't even get him to leave the well. He just sits there Sango . . . he sits there and stares into it's depths with no life in his eyes at all. He won't even speak to me anymore."

Sango turned saddened eyes to the figure that perched upon the edge of the well, never moving, never speaking . . . simply watching for something that was never going to happen. Her heart went out to him . . . he hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye to her. Her mind went back over the last few months since they'd defeated Naraku . . . she had awoken to InuYasha's howl of rage and pain to find Sesshoumaru and Kouga pulling him away from a very torn patch of earth. She had looked around for some sign of Kagome . . . and had seen nothing.

Hours later, when Miroku had woken as well and InuYasha had been literally knocked unconscious by his elder brother, Sesshoumaru had told them what had happened. Sango, for one of the few times in her life, had cried . . . cried for the friend she had lost, and the friend that was now in so much pain he was no longer himself. Curling into Miroku, she had sobbed for what seemed like hours before her mind began to curse the gods for everything they had done. What had Kagome and InuYasha ever done to deserve such a horrible sentence passed upon them, just as they had found each other?

The trip back to the village had been nerve wracking . . . InuYasha had almost refused to leave the spot where Kagome had disappeared. It had come down to a fight between the brothers, reminding Sango forcefully of the days before Sesshoumaru had become an ally. In the end, Sesshoumaru had played dirty, reminding InuYasha that if Kagome was able to come back, she would do so through the well that lay not far from the village.

Kouga had accompanied them, somehow realizing that Sesshoumaru would need his help to keep InuYasha from going berserk. The trip had been uneventful otherwise . . . everyone being lost in their own thoughts and sorrow over the loss of the ever optimistic Kagome.

Once arriving at the village, they'd been surprised to discover Rin and Shippo waiting for them. Seeing them, InuYasha had immediately set out for the well. It had been up to the others to find out how the two young one's had come back . . . and to find out that they had just appeared out of nowhere, with no idea as to how or why. Rushing to the well, they had found InuYasha snarling at the bottom of the well, attempting to dig through the dirt, cursing loudly as it refused to yield to his will. Finally exhausting his energy, he'd hopped out of the well and settled onto the edge . . . and hadn't moved since.

Only Miroku knew that those golden eyes now floated in a sea of unshed tears as he stared into a well that no longer worked . . . a whole world separating him from the woman he had come so desperately to love.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

  
  


Author's Notes - ON THE NEXT PAGE! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH! Okay, anyway . . . *clears her throat* There's a second chapter up, so don't forget to go read that one too. And Please, review. I'm still a junky, and I've been in major withdrawal.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	39. Across Any Distance

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters or the plot from InuYasha. But I do own DVD's, and my all so holy lighter with Inu on it, so I am content . . . until I get an Inu plushie.

  
  


Author's Notes - Aww, to hell with it, you guys don't want to hear from me, you want to read the story. *mumbles in the background* I feel so abused . . .

  
  


Chapter 28 - Across Any Distance

  
  


Kagome stopped sweeping to glance at the well house for the what seemed the hundredth time since dawn had broken over the peaceful confines of the Higurashi shrine. She wore traditional miko robes, much as Kikyo had once wore . . . but her's were dove grey rather than the deep red that reminded her so much of her adventures in Feudal Japan - and the absent mate she had been forced to leave behind.

'Three months . . .' she thought to herself. 'It's been three months, and it still hurts. Is he okay? Is he even still alive?' She wiped the tears away from her eyes at that thought. He had to be alive . . . she wouldn't allow herself to think otherwise, knowing that the only thought that kept her still going was that he was alive and well with their friends.

Unseen from the kitchen, her mother sighed and wiped away her own tears at the sight of her daughter staring so longingly at the well that was forever sealed. Why had God done this to her? To take her so forcefully away from the man she loved, knowing that he still lived, that he was so close and yet so far away from her . . . it had to be some kind of cruel joke. Kagome had not been the same since her grandfather had pulled her up from the well three months ago. She had not returned to school, choosing instead to take her place at the shrine as the miko she had become. She had been busy since then . . . as word leaked out that there was once again a genuine miko at the Higurashi shrine, people had come from all over Japan to see her . . . and in many cases, to have themselves healed. 'If only someone could heal her as she heals them' she had thought many times, watching with sorrow filled eyes as Kagome tended the young and old alike with a tenderness and compassion that made her loved by everyone she came in contact with. The shrine had been flooded with donations . . . but money could not bring happiness in this case, as Sakura Higurashi could clearly see.

Only she knew of the tears her daughter shed each night, standing over the well that had brought her to InuYasha and praying with all her strength that it would allow her through one last time. Just as only she knew of her daughter's depression in that first desperate month . . . a month that Kagome had spent in the well house itself, refusing to eat or sleep for fear that she would miss the well opening back up. Sakura had feared Kagome would never recover . . . that she would, in fact, die from a broken heart.

But, fate had intervened. A sick, injured dog had somehow found it's way into the well house one evening . . . a white dog that had reminded Kagome of InuYasha. Forced to face that the well would never open again, she had embraced the dog with her wounded heart . . . and healed it.

That dog now lounged in the shadow of the God Tree, watching his mistress as she went about her morning ritual of cleaning the shrine . . . and her soul. The dog was never far from Kagome . . . somehow, in that uncanny way animals had, it knew she needed it. Kagome was often to be seen speaking to it and leaning down to caress it's silken ears as she went about the shrine caring for her visitors . . . something that had brought about many questions to her sanity. Sakura had always replied to those questions with the same answer.

"He keeps her sane," she would murmur, smiling softly with a deep sadness in her eyes. That same sadness was present now as she watched her daughter resume her sweeping with a deep sigh. With a sigh of her own, she turned away to prepare a lunch for Sota to take to school with him.

  
  


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Evening came creeping across the Higurashi shrine much as the dawn had, bringing with it a peace that the shrine only saw at night now. Kagome smiled graciously at the last individual to leave the shrine, receiving his bow of thanks with a murmur and blessing before sending him back out into the real world. Turning, she turned to walk to the house . . . and stopped beside the God Tree.

Reaching out, feather-light hands wisped upwards to caress the lone scar in the ancient tree's bark. Sighing, she turned to move away from the memories that scar produced . . . and stopped as she felt a surge of warmth from the tree itself. Glancing back towards the tree, she nearly fainted at the sight that met her eyes . . . the ghostly form of a beloved hanyou lounged against the base of the tree, his amber eyes shut in slumber.

"Inu . . . InuYasha?" she whispered, her voice full of longing and pain as she beheld the ghost before her.

Hands reached out, fingers ghosting over and through transparent features that haunted her dreams. Sobbing, Kagome collapsed, tears falling like rain until she fell into sleep, exhausted.

Gentle hands picked her up from the ground . . . hands that, has she been awake to see them, would have shocked her to the core. Delicate stripes graced the wrists of those fine boned hands . . . silver white hair glinting in the moonlight as the tall figure leaped lightly into the tree outside her window before leaping gracefully into her room and settling her on the bed.

The figure sighed, before shifting back into the form of a snow white dog and settling by the foot of her bed.

  
  


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InuYasha awoke to the phantom touch of beloved fingers brushing over his face. Amber eyes shot open and he was on his feet in an instant, glancing around wildly for any trace of what had awoken him.

"Kagome . . ." he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of longing and pain that one word held. Sighing, he flopped back to the ground, growling at himself in annoyance. It had felt so real . . . he could almost catch her familiar scent if he tried hard enough, sense her presence in the gentle wind that tugged on his hair and ran loving tendrils of breath over his sensitive ears.

This was the first time he'd allowed himself away from the well . . . desperate for sleep and a cease to the pain that lodged in his heart, he'd come here, to where they had first met. Absently leaning his head back against the ancient tree's bark, he stared up at the scar that marred it's gigantic trunk . . . a scar that had both painful and wonderful memories for him. There he had spent fifty years in a death that was not death, sealed by Kikyo's dying arrow. There he had met Kagome for the first time, believing her to be Kikyo. He smiled slightly as he remembered her indignant protests to that, and her rather annoyed look when he'd finally realized she was telling the truth. She had awoken him, made him live again . . . and with time, had made him live more than just the existence of an outcast hanyou wanted by neither side. She had shown him unconditional love, compassion . . . friendship and acceptance. And now she was gone from his life . . . forever. He'd thought that they had prepared for this . . . that knowing it could happen would blunt the agony. They had been wrong.

"Kagome . . ." he whispered lovingly . . . and gazing at the appearing stars, he finally allowed the tears to fall.

  
  


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Sesshoumaru watched his brother from a short distance away, noting with relief that his brother was finally allowing himself the grief he had locked away for the past three months. Sesshoumaru too felt the loss of Kagome deeply . . . if for no other reason than the light she had brought to his brother's life, much as Rin had brought that light to his. Kagome had brought a light to everyone . . . and everyone felt the loss keenly, especially in the unfairness of it.

He realized that he had changed . . . that one talk with Kagome had done much to clear the wounds of his past and heal the rift between him and his younger brother. For that alone, he loved her . . . although no where near as strongly as his brother did. Which is why, that night, he made a vow to himself and his brother . . . if there was any way to protect her, he would do so - past, present, or future.

  
  


TO BE CONTINUED . . .

  
  


Author's Notes - Welp, there it is folks . . . hope you all enjoyed them, and there is still more to come. Did you like my little throw-in there with Sess? I couldn't help it, I had to put him in there somewhere. At any rate, I'll be back in two weeks with another chapter - I've got to read over it, make sure it's all in order, and I've got a job now, so I don't get to sit in front of the computer thinking of ways to torture you anymore : D ----See, I learned a new face! Aren't you proud of me?

Alright all . . . Later, and keep smiling and reading and REVIEWING! PLEASE!


	40. Not Giving Up

Disclaimer - I don't own them, and probably never will. But my InuYasha lighter never goes far from my person, and I don't let anyone touch it without permission ): D (------Look, I learned a new face!)

  
  


Author's Notes - First, some review replies 0:)

Paniced obsessor - Nope, I'm not. But just keep reading : )

Dark and Deluted Child - Thank you : ) It's all written, I'm just making sure I'm satisfied with it before I put it up : P

paws34125 - Anandria - aearoniell - Kaida-Little Dragon - bond jr. - Inuyasha's-Princess12 - Mai - Nameless Moonshine - slvrstarlight - mvdiva - depressed-girl001 - midoriko - Flint - baka-baka - Moonfairy2000 - psycho king - Senay - alli the author - Mistress Storm Crow - Anti [.] Poptarts - Thank you all for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Keep reviewing, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

chibi stumbler - Don't worry hun . . . I could never leave this story on a sad note. I'm too much of a romanticist at heart and our two hero's have been through too much to not give them some relief. But just read and find out anyway.

Corran Nackatori - *returns the glomph* I'm fixin, I'm fixin! I'm not in a depressed mood, I swear. It just seemed that there were still a few untied threads to the story that needed to be addressed after Naraku was killed, so I'm tying them up (in knots, but still).

ForeverGoddessPeorth - *grin* Thank you for the compliment. I was just as tortured, not being able to post as I wrote this . . . it quite literally drove me mad for a while. I wish I could see this happen in the anime, but who knows? Maybe something like it will . . . although I doubt it highly. Here's another chapter for you hun.

celestial-x - I know it was kinda overdone (the chap. 7 thing, that is) but it needed to be addressed so that the story could continue smoothly. Leaving it out would have made people wonder how they had progressed mentally from one stage to another, and I hate gaps like that. Glad you like the story though, and I hope you continue to do so.

sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu - Oh dear . . . I hope I'm not going to see a "Starlight and Shadows Addicts Anonymous" popping up soon. That would be scary.

lizliz - *return glomph* I missed you all too, and thank you. It's great to be back.

Hanyou-Girl25 - here you go hun. I could never just leave you all hanging if I can help it.

Ariane Adora - I haven't quite decided yet why Sess was being a dog or not . . . My mind seems to want to make it so that he was keeping himself hidden for some reason. Perhaps a sequel is in order? *grin*

Kagomesjewel - *resurrects her* Brother's do that a lot . . . but they're enough of a pain in the a&& that I ignore my two : P I'll be heading for your story sometime soon, and I'm glad you love my story. I had the same problem, which is when I started writing this one : ) I hope you continue to enjoy it, and hopefully you'll see my review soon 0:D

yosei - ambereyes - *glomph* Hey you two : ) Glad you're still around and enjoying my story. Ambereyes hun, it sounds like you're going soft. And giving her permission to come after me to boot! Just for that . . . *debates not posting a new chap for a month* Naw, I couldn't do that to you all : ) Anyway, stick around, two more chapters to go.

kawaii monkey hanyou - Just as Kag was returned to her own time by Midoriko because she did not belong in Fuedal Japan, Shippo and Rin were returned to thier own time as well. To restore the 'proper' balance and all that jazz. As far as them going through in the first place . . . I decided to take some artistic license there. Hope it's all clear now.

DragonTamer9741 - thanks : P My mind tends to get ahead of my fingers when I'm typing, and I do occasionally miss the small things. Thanks for the help, and I'm glad you like the story.

*sits back with a sigh of relief* There! That was a whole lot of review for having gone missing for a couple of months, but I'm glad you're all still with me : D Well, here's the next chapter . . .I hope it alleviates some of the depression, but you're all gonna hate me for this chapters ending, so I'm going to hide behind Sephiroth now and get it over with. Only two more chapters to go . . . and we're almost to this stories year anniversary! Yep . . . believe it or not, I actually started writing this in the first weeks of January this year. Now a new year is coming up . . . I might just have to start on the sequel, although how I'm going to top Starlight is beyond me. I'm sure I'll think of something. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you all in two weeks again : P Ja!

  
  


Chapter 29 - Not Giving Up

  
  


Kagome awoke slowly the following morning, her eyes red and irritated still from the crying she had done the night before.

"Why . . . why must I be tormented by images of him? Isn't the very fact that I can still feel him and yet never see him again enough?" she whispered, her voice hoarse as she stared at the coming dawn outside of her window. "Was our love so wrong that I must be eternally damned to misery?" Tears glistened unshed in her eyes, but she wiped them away and stiffened her resolve. The gods may have forsaken her, condemned her to live her life without her mate, but she would be damned before she allowed them to destroy her. She had been through too much in too little time for that.

She was startled when Snow woofed softly behind her. She turned towards him, smiling gently as she gazed down upon the constant companion of her misery. The bedraggled, wounded animal that had seemed so small when he first arrived was now massive, his head reaching to her waist when he stood. His shaggy white coat gleamed in the early morning light, and amber eyes that reminded her too much of a certain inu-youkai regarded her with an eery intelligence as he nudged his head against her hip, inviting her silently to rub his ears. She did so, caressing the soft ears gently as she turned her attention back to the dawn, thinking absently that Sesshoumaru would never have debased himself as to allow a human to pet him as a common dog, even if that was his demon form. A soft smile curved her lips as she imagined the elegant, egotistical youkai lord in his demon form lolling on his back as Snow had sometimes done and then shook her head. "As if . . ." she murmured at her errant thoughts. "That would never happen."

Sighing, she turned to her desk, where many ancient manuscripts lay scattered across it's smooth wood surface. She had begun her research two months ago, after coming to realize that simply hoping and praying was not going to work on getting her back to Feudal Japan. Her grandfather had been a great help to her, showing her where he had stored all the old parchments and allowing her to browse through them for hours at a time. She had finally narrowed it down to these dozen texts . . . somewhere in these texts was the clue she so desperately needed. She settled into her chair to read, Snow's head resting on her lap as she began to comb through them once again, searching for the single elusive piece of information that would give her what she wanted.

A knock at her door interrupted her several hours later. Rising slowly to answer it, she smiled as she found her mother on the other side, a tray bearing breakfast and a small pitcher of hot chocolate balanced in one arm. Her mother returned her smile, walking over to the desk to set the tray down before giving her daughter a brief hug.

"Any luck?" Sakura asked softly, seeing the weariness in her daughter's eyes. Kagome shook her head slowly.

"Nothing yet. Mom . . . you understand why I have to do this, don't you? I know you will miss me . . . but if I find a way to force the well open, I have to go back." Sakura merely smiled and nodded.

"Kagome, of course I understand. We will miss you . . . but you belong there, with him. If I . . . if there had been anyway I could have brought your father back after he died, I would have stopped at nothing. The only thing that kept me living was you and your brother. You have nothing holding you here . . . and every reason to go back. Even if the well should only open once . . . oh, Kagome, you belong with him. It pains me to see you in so much darkness . . . he is your light as much as you are his. I could never hold you're going back to him against you, even if it means we never see you again." Kagome hugged her mother warmly, a hug which the elder Higurashi returned before walking out the door and silently closing it behind her. 

Wiping unshed tears from her eyes, Kagome returned to her desk, where she picked up the waiting mug of hot chocolate and returned to her research.

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  
  
  


"It's been four months . . ." Sango murmured to Miroku as they sat outside of Kaede's hut.

"Yes, it has . . . and he is no better," Miroku replied. They watched solemnly as Shippo chased down another butterfly with Rin. His heart just didn't seem into it . . . he rarely laughed anymore. It seemed as if his childhood had left him with Kagome . . . he no longer seemed half as young as he truly was. InuYasha was no better. He still lay morosely either at the God Tree, or near the well, refusing to move. Kouga had even tried to goad him into a fight, with little to no result. InuYasha had merely shrugged and ignored him.

Speaking of Kouga . . . Sango and Miroku looked up as they heard him go thundering past, heading once again towards the well. They glanced at each other, and without a word arose to follow. Somehow, they sensed that today something was going to happen.

They arrived at the well in time to see Kouga physically slap InuYasha.

"Get out of it, dog breath. She's gone, and moping here isn't going to bring her back."

"Shut up flea bag," InuYasha replied, not moving to retaliate for the slap. He had no choice in the matter, however, when Kouga reached down and picked him up by the front of his fire rat shirt.

"You listen to me, mongrel, and you listen well. She's gone, and you're not the only one suffering. Do you think none of us are sad that she is gone? That we don't feel the injustice of it too? You're not the only one who loved her, you filthy hanyou!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE!" InuYasha roared, shoving Kouga away from him with a barely contained snarl. He heaved in a breathe, his eyes glowing with his anger and despair as he stared at the wolf youkai a mere foot away. "You have no idea what this feels like . . . she is still a part of me, and yet I can never hold her, never talk to her, never BE with her again! It's like having a limb cut off and being constantly reminded of it! My heart feels like it's dying and yet exploding all at once, I can't go an hour without thinking about her . . . SHE WAS MY MATE AND THEY TOOK HER FROM ME!" He collapsed to his knees finally, his head bowed. His white hair, now tangled and filthy from the lack of care, formed an impenetrable curtain for his face as he sat there, before a harsh sob tore from his throat. "Why . . ." he whimpered finally, "why did they have to take her from me?" Kouga knelt down in front of him, silent. There were no words he could say.

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  


Darkness enveloped the Higurashi shrine in it's comforting embrace, the moon dark in the night sky, hidden by the storm clouds that had come in hours before. There was plenty of thunder and lightning, but no rain as of yet, for which Kagome was extremely thankful as she carried her burden from the main house to the well. She slid the door quietly closed behind her, and began her preparations, thinking over what she had to do as she worked.

One week ago, she had finally found the clue she needed. It had been a vague, half mentioned idea, but it was more than she had originally thought to find, so she had been ecstatic. Vague on details, it had given her the idea she so desperately needed. Now, with a note left on her bed and her bag packed and ready beside her, she prepared to put into action the idea that had formed.

Rising to her feet, she solemnly lit the candles on the four corners of the well, illuminating the well house in a comforting glow that did nothing to dispel her worries that what she was about to do was a fleeting chance at best. Starting a small fire in the iron bowl she had bought days before, she quickly added the herbs Kaede had taught her to use to increase mental clarity and spiritual resonance. She sat there, breathing deeply of the smoke that drifted up from the smoldering herbs, and began to go through the ritual of centering herself, getting more in touch with the magic that ran through her blood.

When at last she felt she was ready, she rose gracefully to her feet and approached the entrance of the well . . . candlelight glinting off the polished steel of the ritual dagger she held in her right hand.

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  


InuYasha stared up into the night sky from his perch high in the branches of the God Tree, his mind wandering as it often did to the time he had spent with his Kagome. Kouga had done more than he figured that afternoon . . . without realizing it, he had awoke InuYasha to the fact that he really wasn't the only one who felt Kagome's loss.

Sighing, the hanyou stood and leaped lightly from the tree, his footsteps soft but firm as he headed back towards the well. Kagome was not coming back . . . it was time he admitted it and moved on with what was left of his life. Kagome would not have wanted him to mourn her . . . he knew that now. Shippo still needed him . . . and there were still demons coming after the jewel, even though it wasn't there anymore. The village needed his protection too . . . and he felt that Kagome would have been proud to know that he had taken it upon himself to be its protector.

Arriving at the well, he leaped lightly onto the edge, crouching there to stare into the dark and silent depths of the connection it had once shared with the future.

"I'm sorry Kagome," he whispered into that lonely dark, wishing she could hear him. "I've been a fool these past four months . . . I should have seen that they were suffering too, but I was so wrapped up in losing you that I was blind to their pain. I swear to you . . . I will take care of Shippo as you wanted, and I know you would have wanted me to try to protect the village in your absence. I will do better . . . and I will never forget you. Always and forever, remember? That's how long I will love you . . . always and forever, with all of my heart." A single tear glistened as it fell into the depths, shining like a falling star until the darkness swallowed it up.

"Isn't that sweet?" a voice growled behind him. InuYasha turned quickly, his hand flying to grasp the hilt of Tetsusiaga. His hand never made it as he found himself lifted bodily by a clawed hand wrapped around his throat. He found himself staring into the eyes of a snake demon, it's half humanoid form rising over him, the sleek coils of it's reptilian half wrapping around the well as it spiraled higher into the air. "I had heard that the jewel was guarded by a priestess and her hanyou lover . . . it seems the priestess is gone and the hanyou has no will to fight. Where is the jewel?" it hissed.

"Gone," InuYasha gasped out, his golden eyes narrowing angrily as he found himself incapable of breaking free of the grasp the demon had on his throat. "It's gone . . . and it won't be coming back. It's beyond reach."

"You lie . . ." the demon hissed. "There is no such place." It's fingers tightened ominously, cutting even more oxygen off from the hanyou in it's grasp.

"InuYasha!" The voices of both Sango and Miroku came from just behind the demon. The whistle of a bone boomerang accompanied the shriek of outrage as the snake demon turned towards this new threat, it's claws digging into the back of InuYasha's neck as it kept hold of him in it's turn. Blood began to well, and InuYasha struggled harder to remove himself from it's grasp before it managed to snap his neck. 

Finally getting thoroughly annoyed with the whole affair, InuYasha snapped. Reaching his hand around to the blood dripping from his neck, he wet his claws . . . and went on the attack.

"Blades Of Blood!" he snarled, whipping his hand out and down in a smooth arc. The red energy of his hanyou blood flew into the snake demon, cutting swathes of skin in their wake. The snake demon howled before it flung him away from it. Blood pattered like rain from the serious neck wounds as he flew across the clearing and cracked into a tree. He retained consciousness just long enough to see the well flash with a familiar pink light as his blood fell into it before the darkness consumed his mind.

  
  


*-------*-------*-------*-------*

  
  


At about the same time as InuYasha was saying goodbye at the well, Kagome was saying her own words over that well on her side of it . . . the words of a spell she had dug up from ancient scrolls.

  
  


Blood calls across time to blood

Bound by oath and love.

Time flows, a river of life

Witnessed by god's above.

I call to you with heart and soul,

With all that I possess;

Open for me the passageway,

Let my love do the rest.

  
  


Unhesitantly, she drew the dagger across her open left hand . . . the hand of her heart. Summoning every ounce of miko energy she could, she willed it into that hand . . . and opened it above the well, allowing a single drop of her blood, glittering like a night star with her miko power, to fall into the darkness below.

She was nearly blinded as the well erupted in a shower of light seconds later, the familiar pink glow engulfing the entire well house in it's brightness. Quickly Kagome spun around, snatching up her bag before leaping into the well of light.

"Please," she whispered, "don't let this be a dream."


	41. Surprises

Disclaimer - I don't own them. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, who should be worshipped as a goddess in her own right.

Author's Notes - Or maybe I should call this review responses : O

Thanks go out to Aithril the Elf-Maiden, Dark and Deluted Child, Mika Saito, HMPrune, Key, sweetstuff, PixiesOfTheNight, paws34125, Anandria, sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu, Moonfairy2000, alli the author, depressed-girl001, Kaida-Little Dragon, Ariane Adora, mvdiva, Hanyou-Girl25, Queen of Blades, slvrstarlight, psycho king, kagomesjewel, ForeverGoddessPeorth, Leomae, holynarf, NamelessMoonshine ----- To all of you, a huge thanks for reviewing and as always, fueling the creative fire that burns inside. You guys are the best reviewers and fans a fanfic artist could ask for.

code-wyze - Why thank you *grin* I've actually been in a slump lately . . . I think I'm depressed because SAS is ending . . . but that's going to change here shortly.

inulover - I'm updating, I'm updating! *ducks*

inuficcrzy - Don't do that hun, you scared me! *heaves a sigh of relief* I luv u too, hun. I luv all my reviewers, and I'm glad you think this rules, and I forgive you for not reviewing sooner, and I'm happy too. *gasps for breath* woo, that was a mouthful.

Shayshay-sama - Why thank you : ) Here's an update for you, and I hope you enjoy it.

chibi stumbler - I am? *blinks in surprise* That's the first time I've heard that one . . . hmmm. Well, anyway, no more melancholiness (yes, I think it's a word). Continue to enjoy hun.

inulover - I'm glad you didn't read the lemons . . . wouldn't want to think I was corrupting a 12 year old. But, wait a sec . . . you're a boy? HOLY . . . You'll have to pardon me . . . it's a constant surprise to me that there are guys out there who like this story too. *takes a drink of her nearby Mt. Dew* Mind shock.

ssp51201 - *bows* Thank you very much for the compliments. I could never have ended it that way . . . that would have been too cruel of me by far. I'm so glad you have enjoyed it . . . of course, I hope people enjoy all my fanfictions, even my darker ones, but this one is my baby, and my first ever fan fic . . . hard to believe, neh?

yosei/ambereyes - *hides behind Sephiroth, peeking out from behind his coat* ummm . . . please don't hunt me down . . . I'd hate to lose one of my most faithful readers to the Masamune, but Seph is rather protective . . . *moves a little further out from behind her muse* Here's hoping amber didn't kill you, and I hope you both enjoy it. *ducks back behind Seph* Here's to hiding if you don't *grin*

Real Author's Notes - hehe, that was pretty bad, wasn't it?

Seph - I don't think I have ever seen you hide behind me so often. *dusts off his coat* Something must be the matter with you.

Drac - Thanks hun, I love you too. Actually, I'm just overly happy and excited, but sad and depressed at the same time, if that makes sense.

Seph - It doesn't, by the way.

Drac - Oh shoosh. The reason why is that . . . well, Starlight is coming to an end. This is the second to the last chapter (as in Chapter 31 will be the ending to the story) and I'm sorry to see it go. I mean, I've been working on this fanfiction for almost a year now, and this has been my baby and my pride and joy for that entire time. I've met dozens upon dozens of wonderful people, been both complimented to the point of blushing and angered to the point of murder . . . such an emotional rollercoaster this fiction has been for me as the author, it's astounding.

Now . . . why am I overly happy and excited? Because I have good news for all of you . . . THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!

Seph - *sighs* yeah, she's putting me back to work in cleaning out the cobwebs in that draconic brain of hers.

  
  


Drac - *huffs and crosses her arms* You keep that up, and I'll see if Marik and Bakura will come keep me company instead.

Seph - You would let those two psycho's near you while you were trying to write? *raises one elegant silver eyebrow skeptically*

Drac - All right, all right . . . so it was an empty threat. Bad enough that those two influence my dueling (I actually built and play Bakura's Final Destiny Board / Necrofear Deck, for those of you who are familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh.) I've already gained a reputation for being a very sadistic duelist. Anyway, as I was saying before Seph interrupted, I'm working on the sequel to Starlight and Shadows now. Give me a few months or so, and I'll be showing back up with a whole new rollercoaster ride. I hope all of you will enjoy it as much as you've enjoyed this one. And now, on with the show.

Seph - About damn time.

  
  


Chapter 30 - Surprises

  
  


The first thing she noticed was the dampness of the soil in the well . . . the second was the sounds of battle up above. 'Oh no,' she thought, before beginning to scramble up the vines towards the opening far above.

Sango and Miroku were both fighting for their lives. Without InuYasha or Miroku's Wind Tunnel, this fight was a lot harder than any of the others they had gone through before. Sango barely dodged a poisoned stinger tail, only to be smashed by a claw seconds later. She was back on her feet in an instant, swinging up onto Kirara's back as the neko youkai joined the fray. 

"We have to keep him busy so Miroku can get to InuYasha, Kirara," she shouted. The huge cat growled in reply before diving towards the weaving form below, her thick jaws snapping and her claws raking at the figure as Sango swung with her boomerang. The snake demon instantly turned to them, leaving Miroku free to dash across the clearing to InuYasha.

As he checked in the inert hanyou, he pondered the mysterious flash of light that had arisen from the well moments ago. It had been momentary, barely a flicker . . . which made him wonder if it had truly been there or if his mind was playing tricks on him. He would have to ask Sango about it later . . . for now he needed to revive InuYasha and get him back in the fight. He set to work checking the hanyou's wounds. 

There was quite a lot of blood . . . it seemed that the snake demon had nicked an artery during it's death grip, but the wound was already closing rapidly. 'Thank the gods for his healing abilities,' Miroku thought as he sat back. Watching InuYasha closely for any signs of consciousness, he didn't see the lone figure in white and grey miko's robes climb out of the well into the heart of the battle.

Kagome stopped on the rim of the well, staring up into a mass of writhing coils as the snake demon dodged and attacked in response to Kirara and Sango. Finding herself rather suddenly in the path of a moving coil, she quickly dodged out of the fray, moving into the cover of the nearby forest edge. Once there, she turned, scanning the fight for any sign of her mate. 

"Where is he?" she murmured, suddenly worried. What if something had happened to him while she was trapped on the other side of the well? What if he was . . . she shook her head rapidly to clear that thought. InuYasha couldn't be dead . . . he was too strong and stubborn for that. But if she was going to get any answers, she needed to help Sango kill this demon quickly. 

Turning to her bag, she pulled a slightly large case from inside it. Kneeling on the ground beside it, she opened it swiftly and smiled at what lay within. Gleaming in the soft light, the metal pieces seemed random and incapable of forming a greater whole, but Kagome knew better. Her hands quickly reassembled the item, forming it into a lightweight metal bow. Kagome had ordered this months ago from an online hunters store, but had not had the chance to use it as of yet. Too much had happened in the past months . . . she had practically forgotten it's existence until a chance encounter with the underside of her bed while looking for Buyo had led her to remember it.

Now, she had ample chance to use it . . . and the matching arrows that she had ordered to go with it. No more worrying about overcharging her simple wood arrows and having them disintegrate before she could fire them . . . these light metal arrows would hold everything she could give them and remain intact. 

Turning with an arrow already drawn and at ready, she charged it as she took aim on the coiling snake demon, absently keeping track of Sango and Kirara to make sure they weren't anywhere near her line of fire. Once set on her aim, she let fly . . . and then quickly raised her free arm to shield her eyes as the arrow burst into a blinding radiance that equaled the heart of a sun.

Miroku fell back in astonishment when InuYasha suddenly awoke and sat up, his ears pricked forward in attentiveness, his nose lifting to sniff lightly at the night air before his eyes took on a glow that was almost unholy in it's brightness. He staggered to his feet, weaker than he had expected from blood loss, but held himself upright with the help of a nearby tree as he scanned his surroundings.

"Kagome . . ." he murmured, his voice hoarse with longing and hope as he recognized her scent. It wasn't the ghost scent that had been tormenting him for the past four months . . . this scent was warm, living . . . and close. He found himself hoping to all the gods that he wasn't just dreaming . . . because if he wasn't, then Kagome was there.

"InuYasha, Kagome can't be . . ." Miroku began, standing himself . . . only to be knocked flat in surprise as the clearing and the surrounding woods were lit in a fury of light like the explosion of a star. InuYasha yelped in surprise and pain as the light burned into his sensitive eyes before he managed to get them covered.

The blinding light faded after several moments . . . during which ears were covered to protect them from the high pitched death scream the snake demon emitted as it was purified. Kagome uncovered her eyes and ears slowly, rising up to her knees from the huddled ball she had curled into in an attempt to escape the wail of the burning demon, scanning the area for any sign that it was still alive. She was met with nothing but a rain of ashes and the slight glint of her arrow . . . until she found herself facing a completely stunned Sango. Rising to her feet, she smiled at Sango weakly . . . and found herself being enveloped in a huge hug as the demon exterminator begin to cry.

"Oh my god . . . Kagome!" Sango murmured, overjoyed at seeing the girl who had become like a sister to her. Kagome hugged her tightly, her own eyes glinting with tears before she pushed Sango back slightly to look at her. 

"Hello Sango . . ." she murmured. "I'm back." Sango smiled wetly, her tears gleaming on her cheeks as she looked at the young miko who had been so desperately missed. 

Kagome's eyes widened as she spied something over her shoulder, and Sango wisely stepped out of the way of the approaching hanyou.

InuYasha stopped several feet away, unable to come closer for fear that she would disappear like so much smoke on the wind if he tried to touch her. He quivered with the need to pull her into his arms and verify that she was there as his nose said she was, but the past four months of seeing her in his dreams were not going to be so easily dispelled.

Somehow, Kagome understood what he was going through as he stood there, simply staring at her with longing and desperate hope in his golden eyes. She took a step forward, then another, until she was running for him, her arms open as she was caught in arms that had not held her in far too long and enveloped in a familiar fire-rat clad embrace that scooped her against a shaking body that she knew almost as well as her own.

"Inu . . ." she breathed, her voice catching slightly as tears began to trickle down her face. She buried her head in his chest, breathing in the scent of him as she hid her own fears that this was simply a dream in the reality of him holding her.

"Kagome . . . oh gods, Kagome . . ." InuYasha murmured, his own voice thick with unshed tears as he clasped her tighter to him, refusing for all the world to let her go. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent as if his life and sanity depended upon it. Together, they sank to their knees on the grassy clearing, and that was how they stayed, simply holding on to each other, for a very long time.

  
  


*--------*--------*--------*--------*

  
  


It was nearing dawn when Kagome and InuYasha finally came back to themselves and the world around them. Leaning back a little way, Kagome hesitantly reached up, brushing feather light fingertips over his face as she stared up into his golden eyes. He did the same, claws safely tucked back as he ran his knuckles lightly across her cheek, brushing away the traces of her tears gently as his eyes took in her worn appearance.

"I can hardly believe this is real . . ." she murmured. "I've been without you for so long . . . gods, it felt like an eternity. And I never got to say goodbye or anything to you . . ." InuYasha shook his head firmly.

"I wouldn't have let you say goodbye . . . you are my mate, and we are tied together for all eternity," he replied softly, his golden eyes softening. "I would have found you . . . some way, some how, I would have found you again."

"I couldn't have waited that long," Kagome said, smiling slightly. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips lightly over his, her smile widening as he refused to let her back out, and deepened the kiss into one of desperation and longing. Sighing when he finally ended it, she leaned her head back on his shoulder, feeling safe and happy for the first time in four months.

Sighing himself, he tucked her more firmly into him, pulling her onto his lap as he settled back on the grass, his back against the well as clawed fingers worked their way gently through her ebony locks. They sat together like that in silence for several more moments, merely content to be in each other's presence again, before someone cleared their throat behind them. 

Kagome looked up, and blushed when she met Miroku's amused gaze. Sango was tucked into his arm, wearing her own silly grin as she gazed at the mated pair who had been oblivious to just about everyone but each other.

"What are you smirking at, monk?" InuYasha growled, his sheepish grin belying the annoyed tone in his voice as he spied Miroku's answering grin.

"Nothing at all, InuYasha . . . nothing at all," Miroku answered, before kneeling down next to Kagome and pulling her into his own welcoming hug . . . always aware that InuYasha was mere inches away and watching for any unnecessary gropage. "Relax InuYasha," he murmured as he sat back after a few moments. "Trust me, I have no wish to lose any of my limbs by testing your bonds to your mate." Kagome giggled at the bored look that passed over InuYasha's face.

"Like I'm concerned, monk," he rumbled, pulling Kagome back against him. "Feh." Miroku merely shook his head before moving to stand. He didn't quite make it however . . . Kagome's hand shot out and pulled him back down, where she quickly grabbed his once cursed hand and examined it carefully.

"Oh Miroku . . . it worked!" she breathed, looking up with her eyes full of happiness for him. He nodded.

"Yes . . . my family is free of Naraku's curse," he said. "Now, I'm free to live my life . . . with Sango, who has agreed to be my wife and bear me many sons." He dodged a playful smack from the exterminator, who's bright red blush told Kagome all she needed to know.

"I'm so happy for both of you," she said, snuggling back against her mate as she looked up at the people who had become her family. "Where will you go?" Sango shrugged and smiled.

"Actually . . . we already have a house in the village. We're staying here." Kagome smiled sleepily as she lay against InuYasha's chest.

"That's great," she murmured . . . and drifted into an easy slumber, exhausted by the emotional stress and the amount of energy she had expended that night. InuYasha snorted in amusement, and carefully levered himself up off the ground, cradling his sleeping mate close to his heart as he stood.

"Let's get back to the village," he murmured. Sango and Miroku nodded, and followed quietly behind the inu-hanyou, who's steps, while burdened, were lighter than they had been in what felt like a very long time.

To Be Continued . . .

Author's Note - One more chapter to go . . . and don't forget to review : P Feed that addiction : )


	42. Happy Reunions

Disclaimer - I don't own them . . . but thank god I have my zippo with InuYasha on it, and I'm getting the DVD's, or else I'd go insane. (Looks up at a cough from her muse) Okay . . . so I'm already insane @.@

  
  


Review Responses - 

inulover - *tries to shake the ringing in her ears* Okay, okay . . . here's the update! *looks at Seph, who's holding his head in his hands* Dude . . . I think he's gonna murder you. *hides the Masamune* There, that should give you a running chance . . . I think.

Mystical-Maiden - Thank you, thank you, and thank you again *grin*. If you start a story, email me with a link to it . . . I will happily read it. I still browse through the fanfiction both here and on Adultfanfiction.net on a mostly daily basis for stuff that catches my interest. Oh, and I'm never bored reading my reviews . . . they're the fuel that stokes the creative fire.

Inuyasha Mistress - yeah, I'm usually a cheerful person when it comes to writing . . . get me outside of that, and I'm a very dark, demented individual. But I'm also a romantic at heart, and I guess that does show *smiles ruefully* Some things you just can't hide. Thank you for the vote of confidence . . . so far, the sequel is proving to be a really stubborn piece of work, mainly because I AM trying to live up to the expectations of my reviewers (and fans) and because the actual line of the story keeps swirving a lot atm . . . my mind just can't decide where I want to take it. I have a general overview of it in my head, but the specifics are being real *cough* pains, to put it nicely. But I'm working on it : )

Custos - Yeah, some of us adults don't become total a**holes when we get older and have to start dealing with all the adult shiznit. Don't ever lose your love of anime . . . you will find, as you get older, that you discover whole new depths of storyline in your favorite anime's, simply because now you can understand them, where as before they were vague. Keep reading, writing, watching, and loving, and you'll find life isn't all that bad.

WildKat25 - *bows deeply, ignoring Sephiroth's grin in the background* Thank you very much for the HUGE compliment. An IDOL Inu story, eh? Damn . . . I'm gonna have to post that one on my writing wall. *turns around* Oh, for the love of the gods, Seph, stop grinning. You'll spook the readers. *turns back to the comp.* Yeah, he has to get credit too. Being my muse and all . . . you know, that Masamune makes a wonderful motivational tool . . . especially when it's being held over your head. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of my stories as much as you've enjoyed this one. Ja ne!

LuckySpirit - Present Day Sesshoumaru is still there . . . since he is in the future, he knows that Kagome is safe and returned back to Feudal Japan . . . so he's probably good and peaceful . . . he'll probably make an appearance in the sequel. As for your other question . . . nope, I haven't seen all the InuYasha episodes. I'm stuck with Cartoon Network as my InuYasha source, and of course they show a new series of episodes once in a blue moon . . . I swear it's a curse. So, no, I haven't seen em all . . . why you ask? *curiosity kills this author a lot*

etoile noir - hehehe, let me tell you, it's not easy. Most of the time I have to plug in my cdwalkman and drown all the outworld stuff OUT! (Oh, for those of you who wonder . . . I have a tendency to listen to Linkin Park, Delirium, Enigma, and Enya when I write) Yeah, I read just about every Inu fic out there before I started writing this. That of course, was before I had a job and had a TON of time on my hands, but I wanted to make sure I was writing something original. Funny what determination and a carton of cigarrettes can let you get through (although I don't suggest picking up smoking, nasty habit, but it helps my creative juices) Of course, the bottle of Tylenol was nice too.

CheesieCake - hehehe, certain addictions can be healthy. My addiction to reviews is what made this story so good and so long, after all : 0 As for Kagome's new bow . . . I'm not sure, but considering some of the stuff I've seen for sale on line, I'd be willing to stake my writing ability that something like that can be found and bought. As for the arrows . . . as long as she doesn't lose them in the battles, she'll be fine. Because they are metal, they will no longer disintegrate when she charges them. 

NamelessMoonshine - *hands out a bottle of eye drops* here you go hun : )

Leomae - You love me, you really love me! *grin* sorry, couldn't resist. I may do a lemon in the interim until the sequel unknots itself . . . unknown at this time. I'll let you know if I do X)

  
  


And thanks go out to - Aika Ishtar, Moonfairy2000, ForeverGoddessPeorth, Dark and Deluted Child, code-wyze, Corran Nackatori, FoxDemoness, chibi stumbler, psycho king, surfbratt, sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu, Mikki-inu-luva, inuficcrzy, Kaida-Little Dragon, Mystical-Grace, myinuyasha04, k, mvdiva, HMPrune, Ariane Adora, X-with stars, AleGnA, Anandria, paws34125, Hanyou-Girl25, Aithril the Elf-Maiden, shayshay-sama, liz liz, inu-lover . . . THANKS! All reviews are great, and I'm glad you all enjoyed reading.

  
  


Author's Notes - *sigh* Well, here it is . . . the final chapter. *sniffles* It's hard to believe I've been writing this for a whole year now! What a ride it's been! *reflects back for a moment in silence* So much has happened . . . so many wonderful reviews and reviewers, a few flames, a copy-cat . . . the list goes on and on. You know . . . when I started this, I was nervous as hell and twice as scared as to how it would be recieved. If not for the urging of my friends and some of the GREAT fanfics I've read, it never would have been posted. *shakes her head* Wow.

But, all good things must come to an end . . . or a pause, as the case may be. The sequel is already in it's beginning stages . . . rough around the edges and nowhere near as smooth as this one yet, but it's shaping itself out. I'm not sure what the title will be yet . . . I may name it *Shades of Grey*, but I haven't decided yet. There will probably also be some smaller stories in between . . . I have songfics running rampant in my head *points a finger to Linkin Park* blame them, not me. 

A warning on the sequel . . . I know many people don't like OC's, but there will be one in the sequel. She will NOT be a Mary-Sue . . . far from it, she will come with her own load of problems and issues, and she certainly WON'T be there to fix everyone else's problems. I could never do that to this character . . . she is near and dear to my heart, and I have a WHOLE storyline behind her alone, although that will not be brought in. She is, in a word, unique and wholly a force unto herself. Her true name is *cough* Catherine DracOnyx (yep, my writing namesake) but that won't be her name in the sequel . . . it just didn't fit in. But, you'll have to read and see, and hopefully you will all give her a chance. If she seems like enough, I may do an original fiction *shiver* with her in it to explain her somewhat to you . . . but we'll see how she's recieved first.

Well, this chapter is a bit short, but it ties up some of the loose ends, which was really what it was all about. Enjoy, and I hope everyone had a happy and safe holidays.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 31 - Happy Reunions 

  
  


Kaede was waiting for them outside of her hut as they returned, Sango and Miroku walking ahead of InuYasha, shielding his burden until such time as they got to surprise the elderly miko. While she had been supportive and calm this whole time, the group had known that she too nursed a sorrowful heart at the sudden loss of Kagome. The young miko had come to be the daughter Kaede had never been able to have, and her loss had been hard on Kaede, although she had tried to hide it.

"What has occurred?" Kaede asked as they neared her position. "I felt a flash of miko energy the likes of which could not have been possible . . ." Her voice faltered as Sango and Miroku, with gentle smiles, parted for her to see just exactly who InuYasha had in his arms.

"Can it be?" Kaede murmured, her eyes lighting as she spied the young miko cradled against the worn and battle tattered hanyou she had come to look upon as a son. "Kagome has returned to us?"

"Feh," InuYasha snorted. "Of course she has, old woman. You didn't think she would be kept away forever did you?" Now that his mate was back in his arms, he was more than happy to resume the role of being the irritating, completely frustrating hanyou he had been. He walked by her slowly, retreating into the recess' of the hut as Kaede shook her head at his sudden change in demeanor.

"I must say it is good to see things coming back to normal," she murmured with a sigh as she followed Miroku and Sango into her hut to attend their injuries and get the whole story.

  
  


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Kagome awoke the next morning slowly, afraid to open her eyes for fear she would discover it had all been a dream. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice nearby spoke.

"I know you're awake, Kagome . . . I can sense the change in your breathing and heart-rate. It's not a dream . . . you've come back to us." The futon sank under added weight before she found herself wrapped in strong, comforting arms. She opened her eyes to stare into the beloved golden orbs of her mate, and smiled.

"How did you know?" she whispered. He smirked slightly before a more serious expression crossed his features.

"Because it's how I woke up this morning . . ." he sighed, tucking her head under his chin as he cradled her closer to him. "I didn't want to awaken, afraid that you would not be here and it was all a dream. I've had so many mornings like that . . ." She squeezed him tightly, hearing the underlying anguish in his voice that told her just how much hell he had been through while she was trapped in her time. If she could go back and erase all the pain he had been through . . . but that was a job for a god, and she was merely a mortal woman with priestess powers. She set it 0.firmly in her mind however that just because she couldn't go back and erase it, that didn't mean she couldn't make sure he never suffered like that again.

"Anyway . . ." he sighed after a few moments of silence, "the brat has been trying to break in here all morning and wake you up. We've been holding him off, but I'm ready to strangle him. Would you mind?" Kagome giggled slightly at the total lack of expression in his voice, which told her he had been keeping a very firm leash on his temper for once. InuYasha pulled back to look into her face at this, a slight mock-frown on his lips before he grinned at her. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips lightly across hers and then stayed there, his forehead resting against her own. "Gods, I have missed you," he whispered.

"And I you, my mate . . ." she murmured in reply. They were leaning back in for another, more fulfilling kiss, when a ruckus broke out at the doorway and they were suddenly buried under a small whirlwind of fur.

"Kagome!" Shippo shrieked, burrowing his way in between the embracing couple to press himself firmly to Kagome's chest. InuYasha growled minutely, but stopped at a stern look from Kagome as the sounds of Shippo's muffled weeping reached their slightly deafened ears. 

"Oh, Kagome, I thought you were never coming back and that I'd lost my second mother and InuYasha's been so mopey, and even Sango and Miroku haven't been the same and OH KAGOME I MISSED YOU!" Shippo wailed, burying his face into her shirt and crying his heart out as if would break. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome ran a soothing hand over his back, rubbing in small circles as the little kit cried.

Finally, Shippo's wails reduced to slight sobs and hiccups to the point where Kagome, after having gathered her thoughts, could reassure him.

"I missed you too, Shippo," she murmured. "I didn't want to leave, but I'm back now, and I'm never going away again." She waved her free hand at the inquisitive look InuYasha sent her way. "Later," she mouthed to him over the small kitsune. "I'll explain later." He flicked an ear at her in response before turning his attention to the kit. He hadn't realized just how sorely affected Shippo had been by Kagome's absence . . . then again, he had been drowning in his own sorrows the whole time. He felt a stab of guilt at that thought. Shippo had needed him, and he'd been too wrapped up in himself to notice. He made a move to leave, only to be stopped by Kagome as she clenched a fist into his fire rat clothing. He looked back at her, puzzled.

Kagome shook her head at him, nodding at the futon to tell him silently to return to his former position. She knew what was going on in his head, and she wasn't going to allow him to add that to his already over-heavy burden of guilt.

They sat that way together in silence for a long time before Kagome pulled Shippo back so she could look into his eyes.

"Shippo . . . I promise, I'm not going anywhere. Neither is InuYasha. We're your family now." Shippo looked up at her hopefully, then turned to look at InuYasha. The hanyou coughed slightly, but nodded at the hope shining in the kit's eyes. He knew what it had been like to grow up without a family or a home . . . he wouldn't wish that on anyone, and as annoying as the young kitsune was, he was tolerable enough that InuYasha wouldn't mind him sticking around until he was grown.

He was somewhat startled when Shippo jumped onto his lap, hugging him energetically enough to make the recalcitrant hanyou uncomfortable . . . but the smile Kagome sent his way made it all worth while.

  
  


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"Kagome!" 

The young miko looked around, trying to find the source of the familiar voice, only to suddenly find herself picked up and whirled around in a cloud of dust that only one youkai she knew could create.

"Hello Kouga," she replied as he set her down, holding her out at arms length to get a good look at her. Kagome sent a thoughtful glance towards InuYasha, who stood on the sidelines, his fists clenched, but otherwise calm in the face of his once rival. 'Hmmm . . . that's new,' she thought to herself, before turning her attention back to the wolf lord, who was making light growling noises under his breathe as he examined her.

"You've been ill," Kouga stated flatly. Kagome shook her head, a sad smile gracing her features.

"Only of a broken heart, Kouga . . . and that is now much mended," she murmured. Kouga snorted, but looked pleased at the answer. Letting her go, he stepped back out of the way . . . and Kagome nearly stumbled in shock when she suddenly found Sesshoumaru kneeling before her.

"Lady Kagome," the youkai lord murmured, his head bent so that his white hair, so alike her mate's, fell before his eyes in a curtain. Unsure for a moment of what to do - Sesshoumaru was still very much an enigma to the young woman, and she was never sure just how safe it was to be 'friendly' with him - she finally knelt in front of him, gently parting the curtain of hair before his eyes to get a glimpse into golden orbs that were astonishingly wet with unshed tears.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." she began, only to stop, unsure of how to continue. Finally, she went with what her heart told her to do . . . she hugged him. He seemed to freeze for a moment, stunned - but then, surprisingly, he was hugging her back with a careful reign on his strength, although Kagome could feel the shivering of his muscles, as if he wanted to crush her to him.

"This Sesshoumaru is relieved to see you back," the youkai lord murmured finally, instinctively falling back into the distancing language he had originally used. Kagome merely smiled as she leaned back from him, her own eyes wet at the touching familiarity Sesshoumaru had allowed her. 

"It is good to be back, Lord Sesshoumaru. I have missed you . . . all of you, so very much." She stood, relieved when the proud youkai lord followed her onto his own feet. There was only so much emotion she could actually take seeing from him before she began to wonder if he was really Sesshoumaru, but as he stood, the mantle of arrogance and power that he wore so naturally came down once more. "You know," she murmured suddenly, as something dawned on her, " I don't feel like I've been gone from you at all, Sesshoumaru." The youkai lord quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at her, but she simply shrugged. There was no way she was going to explain to him what she suspected . . . but it still seemed strange to her that he felt terribly similar to the way Snow had in her mind, their aura's virtually the same. However, the last thing she wanted was to think of his reaction to that little bit of news.

Kagome sighed, and looked around at the gathered people, all of whom were smiling at her. 'I'm home,' she thought, and smiled.

  
  


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Later that evening, as the village rejoiced at having their young miko returned to them, InuYasha and Kagome snuck off. Near the lake where they had first made their vows and become mates, they lay beneath a tree on the banks, staring up at the stars, content in each other's arms.

"Kagome?" InuYasha murmured into the night air. Kagome shifted to look at him.

"Yes InuYasha?"

"Why the hell did you kiss Naraku?"

The village paused in it's celebrations as a screech rent the night air, followed by what had to be the biggest splash in the history of their tiny existence.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

Miroku, Sango, Sesshoumaru, and Kouga shared smirks over the fire as they made out the voice of Kagome, followed by the equally loud voice of her mate. Yes . . . things were definitely back to normal.

  
  


THE END

  
  


Final Author's Notes - *grabs a tissue* Welp . . . that's it folks. The end of this story. I couldn't resist ending it with Inu and Kagome getting into another fight . . . it's so NORMAL for them. Sequel is in the works, as are other short stories. OH . . . . before I forget (and Seph catches me) . . . any request / challenges can be sent to me at my email address, which is draconyx1 at hotmail.com. OR, you can go to my webpage and post it on my guest book. My webpage addy is in my profile : ) Be safe, be happy, and I'll be thinking of all of you as I write my sequel. A good author is nothing without good reviewers, and you have all been the best. *hugs all around* And in the immortal words of Arnold . . . "I'll be back!"

  
  
  
  
  
  



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